Districts still face bus driver shortages, but fewer than last year

Jul 31, 2023

ANNE ARUNDEL CO., Md. — Baltimore area school districts are gearing up for the year ahead. They're hiring, and one particular area is still facing shortages: bus drivers.

As districts explain, there's still an issue, but it's not quite as bad as it was last year, or the year before.

"We've made some really good inroads into that," said Bob Mosier, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Mosier tells WMAR-2 News that Anne Arundel is facing 20 bus driver vacancies, compared to 72 this time last year.

If they're still short, it would affect anywhere from 30 to 40 routes.

"Our transportation department is still working through that - but we are certainly optimistic we will get those 20. We have far more than 20 drivers in training right now. The success rate there is about 50 percent," Mosier added.

If they don't fill those jobs, "There would be routes that don't run. We have a notification system that informs parents of that. We're hoping not to be in that situation again this year, but certainly could be," Mosier explained.

Contracted drivers in Anne Arundel received ten percent salary increases last year and this year.

Baltimore County Schools, meanwhile, says they need 54 drivers now, compared to more than a hundred a year ago.

Mosier tells WMAR-2 News that they still want to hire more than 20 drivers to build a bench for when one calls out sick.

"It hasn't gone away. The problem still exists. We're chipping away at it little by little. But we do feel better this year than we did going into last year," Mosier said.

School starts August 28 for most Baltimore-area districts.

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