US School Bus Drivers Drop 10%

The number of employed school bus drivers in the United States declined by nearly 10% between August 2019 and August 2025. The workforce shrank from 223,252 to 202,076 during that period. Districts are currently managing the gap between available drivers and required routes.

The shortage has led to operational disruptions across multiple states. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, thousands of students switched to remote learning for three days in April 2026 due to a lack of available drivers. In South Carolina, the state's largest school district sent more than 7,000 delay notifications to parents during the first 10 weeks of the 2025-2026 school year. Parents report that missed pickups are becoming a recurring issue.

Victoria Encarnacion of Waterbury, Connecticut, said her daughter waited outside for a bus that never arrived. The student walked to multiple stops for an hour before giving up and returning home. Encarnacion noted that her daughter has experienced a missed pickup roughly once a month. She described the uncertainty as stressful for families who rely on the bus system for daily transport.

Mark Medina, a regional director with the National Association for Pupil Transportation, stated that drivers often feel trapped in a difficult position. He explained that once a driver obtains a commercial driver's license, they can leave the school sector for other industries that offer higher pay. Medina said the association is working to secure retirement cap waivers and tax relief to improve financial conditions for drivers.

Factors complicating the return to pre-pandemic staffing levels include split shifts and changes in risk factors for an aging workforce. Medina indicated that the industry is adopting a problem-solving approach to address these structural issues. He believes this mindset will help stabilize the workforce over time.

Lawmakers introduced the Driving Forward Act in 2025 to remove a specific licensing barrier. The bill targets the requirement for commercial driver's license holders to identify engine parts and understand their function. Proponents argue this rule is designed for long-haul trucking and adds three to four days of unnecessary training for school bus drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stated that the exemption would not impact vehicle safety.

The legislation aims to streamline the hiring process by eliminating what supporters view as an outdated technical requirement. If passed, the act would allow individuals to obtain the necessary credentials for school bus driving without completing the engine identification module. The bill is part of a broader effort to reduce friction in the hiring pipeline for transportation staff.