Wake school bus driver shortage 'worse' this year, transportation leader says

As of last Friday, the school system had 713 drivers for 765 routes. At the end of last school year, the district had 720 drivers for 757 routes, according to Wake schools' Senior Director of Transportation Bob Snidemiller. There are 25 bus driver vacancies in the western part of the county alone, he said.

About 72 substitute drivers help fill the gaps, but the district still wants to hire more drivers. The school system raised bus drivers' pay from $12.55 to $13.11​ last school year, reducing the time it takes them to reach the $15 per hour threshold from 13 years to seven years.​

"One of the biggest detriments to find drivers is salary," Wake County school board member Lindsay Mahaffey said. "I'd like to see that bumped up​."​

App lets parents track school buses, estimate arrival times

Wake school leaders say the bus driver shortage has been a problem for several years and is part of a national trend. District officials have said part of the challenge is that bus drivers are not required to let the district know they're returning until August, shortly before school starts.

The qualifications to become a bus driver are lengthy.

Applicants must be 18 years old; have a valid North Carolina driver's license and have had that license for a minimum of two years; have no conviction for moving violations within the last 12 months; and have no more than one impaired driving charge. Applicants can be considered for a school bus driving job provided the DUI charge was not received within the past 10 years.