Story by Timothy Daly Cromwell High School
The national bus shortage continues to cause problems for Connecticut schools.
The vaccine mandate put in place on September 27th did not cause the complete disaster that many had anticipated, but it has made sure the shortage has not gotten better.
This shortage has presented problems with getting kids to and from school on time. Due to bus routes being combined, some kids are getting home from school hours late. There have also been problems with getting kids to athletic events.
Kelly Maher, the Athletic Director at Cromwell High School, said “It’s impacted our ability to get buses, especially on Wednesdays and Fridays right now, and so were being creative in how we get our students to other events.” A bus driver who would like to go unnamed about this situation, due to his fear of repercussions at his job, declined to appear on camera. He said that the driver shortage was due to the fact that they are underpaid, and have poor hours.
The shortage has impacted his work load, changing his morning run from 28 students to 60. In the coming months the bus shortage does not look to get much better.
Becoming a bus driver is a tedious process taking several weeks. This process has made sure any new applicants won’t start driving anytime soon. There is some optimism that the shortage could improve. Due to many school bus drivers being retirees the approval of vaccines for younger children could encourage them to come back to work.
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