As the Sioux Falls School District continues to formulate a game plan for the upcoming school year, one thing is for certain there's a big need for school bus drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

School Bus Inc. is the company that supplies buses for the Sioux Falls School District, and thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, they find themselves in desperate need of qualified bus drivers now more than ever.

Christopher Montgomery, the Director of Safety and HR for School Bus Inc. told Dakota News Now, “We’re about a third of drivers down, going into the fall. Recruitment has been a bit of a challenge because of the coronavirus outbreak. We’re having trouble keeping and retaining a lot of our older drivers.”

A great majority of the drivers for School Bus Inc. are retired individuals that drive bus part-time. Given the COVID-19 situation, many of their usual drivers are reluctant to drive the bus right now because of the pandemic. Many are fearful about getting COVID-19 because they fall in a higher risk category.

Dakota News Now reports that School Bus Inc. plans on doing everything they possibly can to keep both students and drivers safe.

According to Montgomery, “Just know that we are taking this very seriously and we’re putting in every effort that we need to to make sure that the buses are clean and safe and a healthy environment.”

School Bus Inc. requires its drivers to wear masks, and all of their buses are sanitized each day.

There is a need for roughly 30 bus drivers for the upcoming school year at this time.

Dakota News Now reports the starting wage for drivers is $17.75 an hour, and School Bus Inc. even offers test drives for people interested in becoming potential drivers, just to make sure it will be something you're comfortable in doing.

Get more information on becoming a School Bus Inc. bus driver here.

Source: Dakota News Now

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

 

Fun Face Masks

 

More From KYBB-FM / B102.7