Parents Become Their Children's Bus Drivers Paid by Schools as Economy Remains in Shambles

Seattle School Bus Delivers Lunches To Kids During Coronavirus Shutdown

(Photo : Photo by Karen Ducey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - MAY 06: Bus driver Treva White and nutritionist Shaunté Fields deliver meals to children and their families on May 6, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the closure of all school buildings, the Seattle Public Schools Nutrition Services Department has been distributing breakfast and lunch to students through a network of 26 school sites and 43 bus routes five days a week. The meal distribution also includes additional food for weekends. Approximately 6,500 people are served per day through the program.

Many schools across the United States are slowly reopening their doors to allow students to have in-person learning amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the lack of bus drivers has forced some districts to pay parents to drive their children around.

The country's economy has been in shambles since the lockdown imposed after the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The situation has caused supply-chain disruptions that have lasted for several months. Despite some schools having large financial stockpiles from pandemic stimulus funds, others are arguing they are having difficulties with hiring employees.

Shortage of Bus Drivers

In Wilmington, Delaware, the EastSide Charter School is experiencing a shortage of its bus drivers as officials began offering parents $700 to drop and pick up their kids this school year. Transportation budgets of students' families have been funneled to provide parents with stipends for driving and picking up their kids, Aaron Bass, the chief executive of EastSide, said.

A widespread labor and inventory shortage has hit the school district at a time when officials were increasing enrollment and hiring, said Bass. He added that they have been trying to look out for all of their staff and students, arguing even money has its limits, Fox News reported.

Similar to EastSide, Maryland's largest district, Montgomery County, has had its public schools struggling with delayed deliveries of new buses and a shortage of drivers. The delay of vehicles is brought by a lack of computer chips for the buses' air-conditioning systems.

While superintendents previously announced they were well-prepared for a troublesome start to school reopening, the school year has caught them off guard with direct economic disruptions. They are struggling against higher prices and fewer available workers that are making it harder for authorities to cope, the Washington Post reported.

Bass revealed that out of 500 students in EastSide, the parents of about 155 have signed up for the offer to drive their children, paid by the school. Many experts believe the struggles schools are facing are due to the high demand for personnel in other industries which offer higher salaries.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Other schools, including those in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, are facing similar problems with hiring bus drivers for their students. Pittsburgh Public School reported that more than 800 students will have to walk to school because they don't have enough drivers. The shortage has already forced school authorities to delay the academic year.

Curt Macsyn, the executive director of the National School Transportation Association, said that in the last few years, there have been bus driver shortages during the early stages of the school year. However, he said that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the issue, bringing about a challenge that has not yet been seen so far.

The shortage of bus drivers is a parallel issue to other industries, including restaurants and airlines. Establishments are saying they are having trouble finding qualified workers to meet their demands. Some bus drivers have expressed their concerns about working amid the threatening situation of the coronavirus infection, CBS News reported.