In a move highlighting the chronic shortage of bus drivers, the Kyrene School District in Tempe, Arizona, has decided to halt bus transportation for athletic events starting the 2025-26 school year. According to details provided by ABC15, a decision was made as the district grapples with 15 unfilled bus driver positions, indicating an inability to concurrently support regular afternoon routes and sports-related transit. The district spokesperson mentioned in an email to ABC15, "Our highest priority is always the safe and on-time transportation of students to and from school. Due to staffing shortages, all drivers will be driving afternoon routes, and there will not be enough staff to provide athletic transportation."
The need to abruptly stop athletic transportation is not an isolated incident. The Economic Policy Institute has tracked the nationwide decline of bus drivers over the years, with around 290,000 employed in 2009 which dwindled by more than 60,000 by 2019, and as of September 2023, the number had further diminished to approximately 192,400. To potentially reverse this trend, the Kyrene School District board members are slated to consider new attendance incentives for bus drivers. As ABC15 reports, bus drivers with near-perfect quarterly attendance could earn up to an additional $3,000 per year if the proposal passes.
The shortfall comes amidst a period of growing enrollment in public schools, putting a strain on the already taxed transportation infrastructure. USA Today High School Sports notes that, echoing the district's statement, if staffing levels are sufficiently replenished, the Kyrene School District would consider reinstating the shuttered bus service for athletic events.
Meanwhile, on a federal level, legislative efforts are underway to address the shortage. Arizona Senator Mark Kelly has co-sponsored the Driving Forward Act that seeks to make it easier to significantly increase the pool of bus drivers by waiving the commercial driver's license (CDL) requirement to be tested on the "under-the-hood" knowledge. This act, if passed, would help alleviate some of the pressures faced by school districts like Kyrene by potentially expanding the number of eligible bus driver candidates, as reported by USA Today High School Sports. The Kyrene School District, meanwhile, continues to actively recruit drivers year-round and hopes that such incentives and regulatory adjustments may soon help them to once again fully serve their students' athletic and educational needs.
