Hochul announces plan to address school bus driver shortage

ALBANY, NY (AP & WXXI News) New York is taking action to address a growing shortage of school bus drivers statewide.

Governor Kathy Hochul on Sunday announced several short- and long-term initiatives, including opening new testing sites for commercial driver’s license applicants, speeding up the testing and authorization process and raising awareness among the forces. law enforcement, firefighters, army and other organizations that already have trained drivers.

A study carried out two years ago by the New York Association for Pupil Transportation found that eight in ten school transportation principals viewed the driver shortage as a major concern, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem.

A lack of drivers can lead to delayed departures and arrivals and the cancellation of school trips and other extracurricular activities.

“Our schools and public health officials have moved mountains to ensure our children receive an in-person education this year, and we are working hard to make sure schools have adequate bus service to bring them. students in and out of school, ”Hochul said in a statement.

The state caters to more than half a million existing commercial driver’s license holders in the state, including those who are currently unemployed, Hochul said. The Department of Motor Vehicles will remove the 14-day waiting period between the license exam and the on-road exam, and county-run DMV facilities will increase the capacity to administer written and on-road exams.

School personnel with a business license will be able to obtain a permit to temporarily drive vans and buses.

Hochul also urged school districts to use incentives such as signing and retention bonuses to hire and retain bus drivers, and said federal funds can be used for these purposes.

The Rochester City School District is one of the districts facing a severe driver shortage this school year. Superintendent Lesli Myers-Small said recently that the district still faces resignations and absences of drivers who in some cases have delayed bus routes.

Congressman Joe Morelle, (D-25), urged the US Secretary of Transportation to drop the commercial driver’s license requirement for school bus drivers and establish a specific license to drive a school bus.