Bus driver shortages are continuing to put a serious strain on school districts across Montana, including those in Cascade County. According to the Montana School Bus Contractors Association, nearly half of Montana’s school districts reported not having enough licensed drivers to cover all their routes during the current school year.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
Cascade Public Schools have felt the impact firsthand. Just over a year ago, the ongoing shortage forced the district to alter bus routes, leaving some students without reliable transportation.
Superintendent Levi Collins says unpredictability with weather and illness only adds to the challenge. “Just between weather and sickness, you know, sometimes it's just made it to where we haven't been able to run every single bus and pick up all the kids that we want to pick up,” Collins explained.
Finding willing applicants remains an uphill battle.
Barbie Stucker, General Manager for Big Sky Bus Lines, says the job’s part-time, split-shift nature appeals to some but not most, especially with changing lifestyle and job expectations.
“School bus drivers are hard to find. They're hard to keep. It's a split shift, part time job, so it appeals to people who like to work part time. It appeals to people who love to have a midday, time off,” Stucker said, noting that some drivers take the opportunity to golf or enjoy their afternoons before returning for the afternoon route. “And they love it.”
Despite the perks, Big Sky currently covers 64 routes across Great Falls and is looking to fill an additional 13 to 15 driver positions.
“People when I ask, you know, why they don't want to drive a school bus—some would say they don't want to get up early. Some will say they don't want to deal with the kids. I mean, there are student behavior issues from time to time. We try to support our drivers and the schools, help us with student misconduct,” Stucker adds.
To address the shortage, many school districts are increasing bus driver pay, offering sign-on bonuses up to $1,500, and covering costs for new drivers to obtain their commercial driver’s licenses. Still, it remains to be seen if these strategies will be enough to fill the gap and ensure consistent, reliable transportation for all students.
Big Sky Bus Lines says that they offer paid, in-house training through the entire CDL process for new hires.
For more information, call 406-454-1283, or click here to visit the website.
