PINE HILLS, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools is working to hire more bus drivers and mechanics as district leaders say a nationwide shortage is affecting efforts to get students to class.
The district held a hiring event at its Pine Hills Compound, where staff helped candidates complete applications and provided study guides for people who do not have a commercial driver’s license. The application process is also available online at drive.ocps.net.
Bill Wen, director of transportation services for OCPS, said the district needs at least 50 to 100 drivers to help cover routes and driver absences.
“Not a whole lot of people are going in this vocation,” Wen said. “The average age of the school bus drivers, 59 nationally, and a lot of our folks are retiring.”
OCPS leaders said the shortage is part of a nationwide issue, driven by a lack of new applicants and current drivers retiring.
Candidate Manuel Lynch, who previously worked with the district, said he attended the job fair to learn more about the opportunity.
“So, I said, ‘let me come and see if I can chip in’ because, hey, it’s an opportunity where I can still serve as part of the community,” Lynch said. “Lead, guide kids and stuff like that and still get paid for it. So, I said, ‘Why not?’”
Lynch said the application process was straightforward.
“Well, the process was fairly easy,” he said. “It’s just about an hour now. Now it’s just a waiting game.”
After candidates apply, OCPS conducts a driving record check and an on-site interview. Wen said applicants who already have a commercial license can move through the process faster, while others must get a permit through the DMV.
“If they don’t, they’ll have to go to the DMV to get a permit, and we’ll offer the study guide for people to review and then go to DMV to take the written test,” Wen said.
OCPS said benefits for drivers include paid training to get a CDL, retirement packages through the Florida Retirement System, paid employee health insurance, paid holidays and 10 sick days.
The district said bus driver pay starts at $18.23 to $21.88 per hour, depending on experience.
Candidate Christian Delgado said he saw the hiring event as a way to help meet a community need.
“Kids need to get to school and school is very important,” Delgado said. “So, if they have a shortage of bus drivers and kids are missing school for that reason, or parents are not able to take their kids to school because not all parents have cars or anything like that. So, I think it was a good opportunity to spread the word to the community to say, hey, we need bus drivers, please apply.”
In comparison, Seminole County Schools said its current starting hourly rate for bus drivers is $20.03 per hour. The district also provides paid training for new drivers to get a CDL, and a spokesperson said Seminole County Schools is not currently experiencing a bus driver shortage.
OCPS said it will host another job fair from 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Oct. 26, at the Pine Hills Compound.