CHESAPEAKE, Va. — School bus drivers all over Hampton Roads are testing their brakes and practicing their early morning smiles ahead of the new school year.
Chuck Callahan, a driver in Chesapeake, says he’s excited to see his students again.
“By the end of the year, I just loved getting up in the morning, going to see my students, getting to talk with them,” he told News 3.
However, even though these drivers are ready, will there be enough staff to get your kids to school on time? Well, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the number of school bus drivers has increased by about 5% since around the time the COVID-19 pandemic ended.
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One of the districts where things are looking great is Portsmouth.
“Every route has a driver, every bus that is assigned has a driver assigned to it. So we’re looking good,” said Micheal King, the Transportation Coordinator with Portsmouth Public Schools.
King has held the position of Transportation Coordinator for about a year. Coming from a family of bus drivers, King worked his way from the ground up. He started as a driver himself, then became a dispatcher, then a routing coordinator. Now, he heads the department.
He says one way he’s been able to fully staff the department is due to the work they’re doing to get out into the community.
“We have attached onto community initiatives. So those neighborhoods that hold job fairs around the community and the city, we’ve joined them and that has helped to bring in some pretty good folks,” King said.
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Numbers are also looking manageable in cities like Hampton, Virginia Beach, and Chesapeake. Hampton only has six remaining vacancies. Virginia Beach has 25 and Chesapeake has 78, but those two districts are bigger than the rest.
In Virginia Beach, driver Jeanne Morrison says she’s really seen a positive difference in driver numbers in the last three years.
“They train us well. I have excellent ability to see my supervisors, wonderful associates. I have no problem with it,” she said.
As for Chesapeake, they go back to school later than the rest, so they have a little more time.
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Callahan, who’s only been driving buses for a year, says the kids tell him they’re thankful they finally have consistency with their drivers.
“They told me stories about how sometimes the bus didn’t show up because they didn’t have a driver available and they didn’t end up going to school. So just the stability of last year, by the end of the year, these students were just thankful that I showed up every day,” Callahan said.
Districts like Chesapeake have also increased their pay in an effort to entice more driver applicants, as well as offering free CDL training.
If you would like to apply in Chesapeake, click here. Chesapeake also sent News 3 this statement regarding their hiring process.
“The Department of Human Resources is hosting "Walk Up Wednesdays" to assist applicants with their applications from August 21, 2024, through September 24, 2024, from 11:00AM to 2:00PM at the Chesapeake Public Schools School Administration Building located at 1421 Kristina Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320.”
If you would like to apply in Virginia Beach, click here.
If you would like to apply in Hampton, click here.
