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Big Spring ISD Combines Bus Routes to Make Up for Lack of Drivers
Big Spring ISD Combines Bus Routes to Make Up for Lack of Drivers 9/13/12
CBS 7 News
September 13, 2012
tguinn@cbs7.com
Big Spring - Like other west Texas school districts, Big Spring ISD is experiencing a school bus driver shortage.
It has gotten to the point that they've had to make some changes to their routes.
It's a unique job; get up early, work with children, have most of the day off and then repeat. That's the daily routine for school bus drivers in Big Spring.
"It takes a commitment and love for kids. You've gotta have some tolerance and some patience. You have to want to get up a little earlier than some and stay a little later," Wayland Pierce, Director of Maintenance and Transportation for BSISD said.
The school district has a fleet of 21 buses, but due to the driver shortage, only 16 are in service.
"It's not terrible bad, but it's not as good as we'd like it to be," Pierce said. "We can use all the help we can get with transporting students, everyone is short."
Pierce says they're always on the search for more drivers, and since they're short some, several routes have had to be combined. This makes for crowded buses and longer rides.
"We're picking up earlier in the morning, we're going later in the afternoons getting them home," Pierce said. "Schools are having to maintain them longer until we can get back to school #2 and pick those kids up."
He says the current staff is a great bunch, but that does not overshadow the need for more drivers.
"That's the first school person they see in the morning is their driver, so it can set a tone for that child's entire school day," Pierce said.
If you're interested in becoming a bus driver for BSISD, there are several requirements you must meet. For more information, call the Transportation office at: 264-4108.