Woodbridge School District Dealing With Bus Driver Shortage

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Like Edison and school districts across the state and nation, Woodbridge public schools are currently dealing with a school bus driver shortage.

As a result, the Woodbridge school district has had to consolidate about a dozen bus routes that normally take children to school.

The first day of school for Woodbridge schools was Sept. 2.

"The Woodbridge Township School District, like many districts in the state, is doing its best to manage the bus driver shortage," superintendent Dr. Joe Massimino told Patch Tuesday. "While we still offer busing to all students who are entitled, we have had to merge routes as we continue to look for more bus drivers."

The Edison school district said it had to cancel about 31 bus routes this week because it does not have enough drivers.

The Toms River school district even has to start school later because it is down 29 full-time bus drivers and 20 substitutes. High school has to begin at 7:55 a.m., when it used to start at 7:15 a.m.

Why can't school districts find enough bus drivers this fall? It's a problem across America and the issue is a combination of low wages and health concerns as a result of the pandemic, according to this EdWeek report.

The New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association told 6 ABC that about 20 percent of bus drivers didn't return after layoffs associated with the coronavirus pandemic. School districts also have to compete for hiring with trucking companies and mass transit agencies, both of which pay more, reported NJ.com.

Related: Driver Shortage Forces Edison Schools To Cut Back On Bus Routes

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