Bus Driver Shortage Causes Problems For AACPS

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Students across the county are arriving to school later than usual thanks to a lack of school bus drivers. School officials report needing at least 20 bus drivers still to help operations run more smoothly.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesperson Bob Mosier told WMAL that current drivers are having to wrap up a route, deliver students to school, then start back in on another route. Another option they've been trying has its pitfalls, too.

“We try to where possible and where safe to condense bus stops onto … to put more bus stops onto a bus,” Mosier said.

But that solution is causing overcrowding, which worries parents, Mosier said.

"One of the negatives of a very positive economy is that folks who, you know, would drive buses and do other things like that have other options, so we do have a shortage in our county,” Mosier said.

A new state law also lengthens the hiring process for bus drivers because people with unsupervised access to kids must undergo a more thorough background check that can take upwards of 20 days.