U.S. school districts are raising bus driver pay and benefits as a persistent worker shortage disrupts routes and puts pressure on school transportation.
School districts across the United States are raising wages, expanding benefits and trying new recruitment strategies as they continue to struggle with a persistent shortage of school bus drivers.
The staffing crunch comes despite higher inflation-adjusted pay for drivers. School bus driver employment remained 9.5% below 2019 levels in August 2025, while real hourly wages increased 4.2% from a year earlier, according to an Economic Policy Institute analysis cited by Fox Business.
Higher pay fails to solve driver shortage
School districts are competing with private companies and other public-sector employers for workers who have the qualifications needed to drive buses.
Hilary Wething, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, told Fox Business that low wages remain a major factor behind the shortage.
The job can also be difficult to fit into a worker’s schedule. Many school bus drivers work split shifts, driving students in the morning and returning for afternoon routes, leaving several hours between shifts.
That schedule can make the position less attractive compared with trucking, delivery and transit jobs that may offer higher pay or more predictable working hours.
New York district offers $28 an hour
The East Greenbush Central School District in New York illustrates the challenge facing school systems.
When Superintendent Kurtis Kotes took over in July 2025, the district was short nearly 14 bus runs. Other school employees, including mechanics and dispatchers with the necessary licenses, had to help cover routes.
The shortages led to consolidated routes, late pickups and delays getting students home, with potential effects on instructional time.
The district responded with a recruitment event known as a “bus rodeo,” where prospective drivers could try operating a school bus with trainers even before obtaining a commercial driver’s license.
The effort produced roughly five to eight hires, according to Kotes.
East Greenbush now pays drivers approximately $28 an hour and provides health benefits. The district also looks for ways to give drivers additional hours through field trips, sports transportation and other assignments.
Districts compete with Amazon and other employers
School systems are increasingly competing directly with private-sector employers for the same pool of workers.
East Greenbush, for example, competes with an Amazon warehouse, other public-sector employers and seasonal jobs such as snowplowing.
For workers considering driving a school bus as their primary source of income, benefits can become an important part of the decision.
Some drivers also take second jobs to supplement their earnings, highlighting the challenge districts face when trying to make school transportation positions financially attractive.
Pandemic funding expiration adds pressure
The transportation workforce shortage is also occurring as school districts face tighter budgets.
Wething said the expiration of federal pandemic-relief funding has added pressure on school systems. Those funds helped districts hire support staff, including bus drivers, but schools now have to maintain transportation services with fewer resources.
That creates a difficult balancing act for districts: They need to offer competitive compensation while managing transportation costs and other school expenses.
Recruitment goes beyond higher wages
Districts are finding that raising hourly pay alone may not be enough to solve the shortage.
East Greenbush Superintendent Kotes obtained his own commercial driver’s license after five weeks of training, allowing him to better understand the work and help cover certain routes.
The training included defensive driving, student management, safety procedures, emergency response and vehicle inspections.
Kotes said compensation is only one part of retaining workers. Workplace culture and making employees feel valued can also determine whether drivers stay with a district.
Families feel the impact
The shortage can have consequences well beyond school transportation departments.
When districts do not have enough drivers, schools may consolidate routes, lengthen student rides or struggle to maintain reliable pickup and drop-off schedules.
For families, that can mean children arriving late at school or getting home later than expected.
As the new school year gets underway, districts across the country are therefore looking beyond traditional hiring efforts. Higher pay, health benefits, additional work opportunities, recruitment events and improved workplace conditions are all becoming part of the effort to keep America’s school buses moving.
The continuing shortage shows that filling the nation’s school bus driver workforce may require more than simply offering a higher hourly wage.
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