Bus Driver Shortage Means Many HoCo Routes Will Double Up: HCPSS

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Approximately 58,000 Howard County Public Schools students will return to school Aug. 30, but the district is facing a "significant" shortage of school bus drivers.

Despite the efforts of partner organizations and groups across the county this summer to assist bus contractors in attracting more drivers, HCPSS contractors currently have only 80 percent of the drivers necessary to cover all routes, which equates to 93 current vacancies, HCPSS Superintendent Michael Martirano.

"School districts in many of our neighboring counties and across the United States are experiencing a similar driver shortage," Martirano explained in a note from the district.

In order to provide transportation services to all eligible students by using the existing buses and drivers available, many bus routes and bus stops will be different than what families have experienced in past years, he said.

To accommodate the shortage in drivers, buses will run double routes for some schools, picking up and dropping off students in groups. For example, a bus would pick up and drop off students assigned to Group A and then circle back to pick up Group B. This will create a larger-than-usual window of time between when the first students are dropped off at school and the time instruction begins.

The first group of students will be dropped off at school approximately 30 minutes prior to the arrival time of the second group. All students will have at least 10 minutes for breakfast prior to the start of the instructional day. The same process will take place after school with the goal of no more than 30 minutes between the time the first and second groups leave school.

Students who are at school and awaiting instruction or bus pickup will be supervised by HCPSS staff.

The bus locator will be available on the HCPSS website by Aug. 24. When the full bus schedules are finalized and available online, all bus riders will have scheduled pickup and drop-off times.

Anyone interested in becoming a driver is asked to call the HCPSS Transportation Office at 410-313-6732.