EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — There are plenty of school buses at the East Stroudsburg Area School District bus lot, but there is still a shortage of drivers. The district's Director of Transportation, Damaris Robins says the last few years have been hard on not only bus drivers, but students too.
"Unfortunately, we have had to have a few drivers double up on their runs. Students have arrived at school late, missing instructional time. So yes, it definitely impacted us," Robins said.
Robins says things have improved, but they are still looking for bus drivers.
"Last year we were about this time we were about 30 drivers short. Now, this year, we are about a dozen drivers short," Robins said.
The East Stroudsburg Area School District has its own bus system. The district currently has 88 drivers, including Larry Young.
"What I love about this job, not like, love, is the different diversity of students," Young said.
Drivers are trained on-site.
"We offer classes for free. We train our drivers from the classroom to behind the wheel until they obtain their CDL. If they are a good fit for the district, we hire them on board," Robins said.
The East Stroudsburg Area School District started classes on Monday but is still hiring bus drivers. The starting salary is just over $22 an hour. The district also offers free monthly CDL classes.