Nashville Steps Up School Bus Driver Recruitment As Shortage Leaves Students Stranded

Metro Schools is desperate in the face of a disruptive shortage of bus drivers. The district’s transportation department is attending job fairs at a time when so many positions are unfilled, students are showing up late to school.

The shortage of 150 drivers is affecting thousands of teachers, students and district staff. Susan Pregel is a field organizer and recruiter but has been pulled into driving while she’s not out taking
applications.

“You want to drive a bus? You can do it. Give it a try,” Pregel says at a job fair held Wednesday at the Coleman Park Community Center.

Many see the job of school bus driver as thankless and underpaid. Metro bus drivers start at $13 an hour — less than those in some
surrounding districts. Some drivers have left for other school systems and others are taking commercial driving jobs in the private sector, according to district officials.

Kayryan Stewart says he’ll apply, even if just out of obligation.

“I heard the kids were actually left on the corner. That’s not something you want to hear early in the morning,” Stewart says. “So I was like hey, why not?

Stewart has experience driving a Greyhound, but he doesn’t have the up-to-date license required to operate a school bus. The district offers paid training and certification, but that means it will be six weeks before he and others like him could start, leaving the district in a bind that will likely last through the end of the year.