Bus driver shortage leaves schools, parents scrambling

The road back to the classroom could be a bumpy one for many students as a bus driver shortage fueled by the pandemic and a transition to virtual learning drove many school bus drivers out of the field and could leave many children stuck at the bus stop.

According to the National Association for Pupil Transportation, yellow school buses transport nearly 25 million children to and from school every weekday. These buses also transport another 3 million to 5 million students to everything from athletic events to field trips.

The loss of bus service could cause major disruptions to it all. It’s another industry hit hard by COVID-19.

Many school districts lost bus drivers to other fields when schools shut down due to the pandemic, forcing school bus drivers to find other work to make ends meet.