Multiple bus driver shortages happening in North Central West Virginia

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Bus drivers are some of the most important employees in any school system; hundreds of kids rely on them to get to and from school every day.

However, things might be more difficult this year because several school boards in the North Central region of the state are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers right as the fall semester is about to start, and the boards are having to find new ways to help students get to class this school year.

In Harrison County, the problem isn’t a lack of full-time drivers, but rather a lack of substitute drivers.

“I think every county is struggling with substitute bus drivers,” said Jim Lopez, assistant superintendent for Harrison County. “The substitutes are very important because if one of our full-time drivers gets sick or has a family emergency, we need to have someone who can cover that route. If we don’t have a substitute driver, that means there are kids who won’t be able to get to school that day, and that’s a very big problem.

“We are actively trying to recruit more people, and we have different ways of doing that. A few years ago, we started paying drivers for the time they spent getting certified. That comes to about $1,500 for the drivers.”

Lopez also mentioned the benefits of becoming a substitute bus driver and how it can quickly lead to a full-time position.

“We are still seeing a decline in applicants, but we’re hoping to see a change in that since we’re more competitive than other counties in what we pay our drivers. People who start as substitute drivers could also potentially become full time within six months to a year. That’s a huge incentive for our applicants, especially because it used to take over a year to move up to full time,” he said.

In Lewis County, there isn’t just a lack of substitute drivers, but of full-time drivers as well.

“From the conferences I’ve been to, I have seen that this is a country-wide problem. We’re starting a class right now with some of our new applicants, so hopefully we’ll be able to increase the amount of drivers we have,” said Gerry Paugh, Lewis County Schools transportation supervisor.

According to Paugh, the county has made some progress in getting more applicants.

“Word of mouth has definitely been our best seller. Our second best is advertisements that we have on billboards and some of our buses,” he said.

This shortage of bus drivers is due to a variety of reasons that the school systems are hoping to overcome.

“We have a lot of drivers who are retiring, and we have a lot of drivers who are going into other lines of work,” Lopez said.

“I think that part of the problem is a decline in benefits for all positions at the school board. I’ve been driving for 30 years and I’ve seen a huge decline due to low pay in this county that’s causing us to lose some of our drivers,” Paugh said.

Although the lack of school bus drivers is still an issue in the state, counties are pushing through to make sure that their students have access to an education.

“I really believe that this is one of the best jobs in the world. Being able to help these kids get their education is a very rewarding experience,” Paugh said.

Noah Jeffries can be reached at [email protected]

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