School bus driver shortages put the burden on kids, parents

Minnesota school bus companies are offering a signing bonus of up to $1,000 and $16-an-hour starting salaries as they face one of the worst driver shortages in recent years.

Companies are poaching drivers from one another and peppering the Internet with classified advertisements and still remain woefully understaffed in the beginning weeks of the school year. At Beacon Academy Charter School in Maple Grove, buses were two hours late and parents had to organize a carpool to get students home. To ease the problem, the bus company’s staffers were forced to drive routes.

http://www.startribune.com/school-bus-driver-shortages-put-the-burden-on-kids-parents/327977961/