Huron-Perth Student Transportation Services General Manager, Janice White, says the situation with bus drivers this school year hasn’t changed a lot from the situation at the end of the last school year.
“We’ve got some operators who have had no cancellations at all and other operators that are struggling with some cancellations, so we still continue to experience some driver shortage. Not as bad as some areas of the Province, but that’s a small cancellation to the parents who’s buses are cancelled,” said White.
White says all of their operators would like to be able to hire more drivers and they’re constantly recruiting. She says one of the challenges they’re still facing is COVID-related but some is just they haven’t been able to recruit and hire enough drivers.
She says there’s other problems too. “Some have the drivers, but they’re now getting things like surgeries that have been postponed for two years, so they really need more spare drivers to make up for the drivers that are going to be off work.”
White says all of their operators are continuing to try and attract and train more drivers. But she also points out, it’s not a job for everyone. She says it requires someone who likes kids and who likes driving and it does require a special person. So, she says, she’s cautiously optimistic that they’ll eventually have more drivers.
