Two weeks into the new academic year, several metro Atlanta school districts are dealing with shortages of bus drivers.
“Honestly, it’s been a challenge,” said Vickie Cross, Executive Director of Transportation for the Fulton County School District. “We need about 140 drivers.”
One of the metro’s largest districts, Fulton County, is holding numerous hiring events to fill the open positions. The district has funding for 805 bus drivers.
“We kind of faced this. It’s a continuous problem not just for us, but it continues across the nation,” Cross explained.
Cross told WSB that the district has had to get creative amid the shortage. They’ve combined some routes, and some supervisors have even stepped in to drive the buses.
Fulton is not alone in the metro area—Dekalb County Schools is looking to fill 75 open positions. “The good news is that we currently have 18 in training and are actively recruiting more to join our wonderfully dedicated transportation team,” a district spokesman said in a statement.
Cobb Schools confirmed they are trying to hire 40 additional drivers but stressed that all routes are fully staffed.
Clayton County Schools has 20 open positions they expect to have filled in the next 30 days.