As the school year begins, school bus drivers are an important part of keeping the Bozeman School District running. The school bus company, First Student, says staffing is looking so far, so good.
"It's the first time in a couple of years that we've been this close to being fully staffed and have everything all set, including sub drivers," said First Student Location Manager Tera Jo Meyer.
In 2018, First Student faced a bus driver shortage and had to cancel routes. This year, they’ve made some adjustments that Meyer says will ensure routes are covered.
"We had adjusted a couple of routes again this year to fit with staffing, but with making those couple of small changes, we're able to get everything going and ready for all the students this year," said Meyer.
These staffing increases may be the result of a wage increase from $24.00 to $27.70 an hour this year.
"It's a great opportunity once they get hired on we now also have an attendance bonus every year for the drivers in attendance," said Meyer. "So they get that also. So that has another incentive for them."
Meyer says although their staffing looks great, they’re always looking for sub-drivers in case drivers get sick or can’t work for various reasons.
"We always have a need for spare drivers for those occasions," said Meyer. "And so that's one of the other reasons why we are always hiring."
The schedule is split into morning and afternoon with a two-hour payment minimum. Meyer says First Student tries to make the job as convenient as possible.
"We do everything we can to be family oriented. We've got a few drivers who bring their kids with them to the bus yard," said Meyer. "As long as they're over a year old, a child can ride along with the parent. So it's a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents."
If you would like to apply to be a sub-driver, visit their website.
