FCPS warns of school bus delays due to driver shortage
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| A school bus in front of Braddock Elementary School in Annandale. |
As schools open today for in-person learning five days a week, FCPS expects some bumps in the road due to a severe crisis of school bus drivers.
Fairfax County Public Schools warns parents to expect some bus delays and longer bus rides.
“If you can walk with or drive your child (and perhaps a neighbor’s), please do,” FCPS tweeted. “Also, we ask that you update your transportation status through your school if you choose to not have your child take the bus.”
FCPS is implementing “double-back” routes in some cases. As drivers complete a route, they’ll have to double back to pick up more kids.
Related story: FCPS says students will be safe in school despite Delta COVID variant
Parents can get real-time information on bus arrival times through the Here Comes the Bus mobile app.
FCPS is not alone. The school bus driver shortage is a nationwide problem.
According to officials at the National School Transportation Association, the shortage can be attributed to low unemployment rates and demographics. Many drivers are retirees from other jobs and, because they tend to be older, are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID.
FCPS had trouble recruiting drivers even before the COVID pandemic. According to news reports, the school system needs to hire somewhere between 100 to 300 bus drivers.
The school system has about 1,200 school buses on the road taking 140,000 students to school every day.
To recruit more drivers, the FCPS is offering $2,000 signing bonuses to qualified applicants.
Related story: School employees must be vaccinated against COVID
The starting pay is $19.58 an hour plus health and retirement benefits. There is a guaranteed minimum of 30 hours a week. According to FCPS drivers get full-time benefits for part-time work, and in another perk, they can bring their preschooler with them.
Drivers must be at least 21 years old, have five years of driving experience, and have a good driving record. Applicants must pass a physical exam, background check, and drug test. FCPS pays for training for a commercial driver’s license.
I suppose walking to a neighborhood school is too much for today's kids and their helicopter parents. And whatever happened to biking to school? Do schools even have bike racks anymore?
Fairfax County is not Amsterdam or Utrecht where biking to school is safe and done by most students. If dedicated bike lanes were a thing, a lot of school kids would bike…the blame lies with the infrastructure, not the school kids.