School bus driver shortage continues to impact area
Mike Lawrence - Staff Writer
Maybe you have seen the “for hire” flyers in your mailbox, or the want ads online. You may have even had your child’s school bus run late or be cancelled. It all comes down to the same problem: there is a shortage of school bus drivers.
And according to Eric Lehto, Iron Range Bus Lines General Manager, it’s not just an issue in our area.
“It’s not just limited to, say, just our region. It’s North America, it’s all over. There’s a myriad of reasons, whether it’s the economy, whether it’s just the available jobs that are out there. It’s only part-time, so that will exclude a certain number of people that, say, would need full-time.”
As it turns out, the driver shortage issue isn’t related to just school bussing, as Lehto explained, “There’s a shortage of drivers whether its trucking, bussing,… just a shortage everywhere. It’s just more prevalent with school bussing because of the number of kids, and especially in the smaller communities where we see it when kids can’t get to school.”
As Lehto goes on to explain, there may also be a reluctance among the typically older demographic that would usually take up school bus driving as a retirement job. “Traditionally it’s been a lot more of the retired folks and those kinds of things. COVID certainly hasn’t helped because, again, people are worried. You put lots of little people in a bus, and it’s not that safety precautions aren’t being taken, but it’s people still being concerned about it. We certainly understand that.”
Despite the widespread nature of the school bus driver shortages, Lehto is confident that hiring a few more drivers locally will resolve the issue for Iron Range, explaining, “Sioux Lookout isn’t a huge area, and we have seven runs there. So, it’s not like we would need 10 or 12 or 15 new drivers. Two or three would make a big difference, four would make a big difference, even if some of those were just spares. It would just make sure the compliment was there, which allows for people, if they need a sick day or they need time off, then there’s always someone there to do the run. Generally, when people start, they generally stay for quite a long time, it’s not that there’s necessarily a big turnover. It’s just more difficult to get people in, and its only part-time and it’s seasonal. For some people it fits perfectly as a second job, or as a retirement job, but everything has to fall into place for them too.”
Locally, Iron Range Bus Lines has been running ads and putting out flyers in the hopes of attracting some new drivers. Until they can add a few more drivers to their roster, the occasional delay in scheduled school bus arrivals and departures is bound to continue.
Lehto wants prospective drivers to know that more information on becoming a school bus driver is only a phone call away, stating, “Contact us at the office at Sioux Lookout, or call Thunder Bay. They can also go to our website which is www.ironrangebus.com. Use any one of those ways to reach out and we’ll certainly get back to them and we can at least start the process or have a conversation with them and answer some of those questions if they just need some more information.”
It all starts with a class G license, a clean driving record, and some in-house training. Lehto feels that the combination of part-time work and competitive wages makes the position especially appealing to retirees or others who are looking to supplement their income without giving up too much free time.
“Our job is to look after the kids and we want to do everything that we can,” Lehto added. “We just need a couple of more drivers that want to be there, and you have to enjoy the kids. You have to understand, they can be rambunctious because they’re kids. But it is a really rewarding job and drivers get attached to the kids. It can be a lot of fun at the same time. We only need a couple, two or three would make all the difference, just to make sure we have the backup, so everybody gets to school.”
Anyone interested in exploring a part time position as a school bus driver is encouraged to contact Iron Range Bus Lines at http://www.ironrangebus.com/.
