Durham school bus routes delayed due to driver absences

Durham Public Schools announced some bus routes will be delayed on Tuesday due to a number of driver absences.

Officials said there were a "significant" number of driver absences and apologized for the inconvenience.

No specific routes were mentioned, but parents and students can download the "Here Comes the Bus" app to track their school bus.

DPS officials told WRAL News that, on any given day, 20 buses are out of service, and an additional eight drivers were out Tuesday.

Officials said the absences were not COVID-19 related.

Substitute bus drivers and coaches who are used to driving activity buses have agreed to help with some routes, officials added, but parents will notice delays Tuesday afternoon.

The situation will not improve unless people apply for bus driver positions, a spokesperson said.

The district is considering bonuses.

Bus driver shortages are already a problem across the Triangle.

Wake County offered $1,200 recruitment bonuses over the summer to try and accommodate their need for drivers but still started the school year short of about 100 drivers.

The shortage has resulted in more than half of the district's 627 bus routes becoming "shared runs," in which one driver handles multiple routes, district spokeswoman Lisa Luten said.