"Driving in the mornings with the kids, that's the best part of my day," Lee said.
Durham Public Schools said he's been working with the Hamlin Road division to support student transportation needs as they continue to navigate the ongoing bus driver shortage.
Last year, the school district faced a 30% bus driver vacancy rate, meaning 59 positions were vacant as of Oct. 2024, according to documents.
On Wednesday, DPS gave Eyewitness News an update on where things stand.
A DPS spokesperson released the following statement, that said in part:
"Durham Public Schools Transportation Services continues to make significant efforts to recruit, hire, and retain qualified school bus drivers to support the needs of our district. We remain committed to ensuring students have reliable and equitable access to transportation."
As of December 2025, the district said 40 employees have been training since July to be a bus driver, and out of the 18 candidates who they said "successfully completed the training requirements," nearly 90% of those candidates have been hired as Durham school bus drivers.
Although the district said they're continuing to recruit and hire bus drivers to keep their vacancies filled, Lee called for any elected official in Durham County to come out and support student transportation needs.
"Any elected official or anyone getting a CDL license, you could do a little part to help Durham Public Schools or help Durham all together, and it would be a really good feeling for you," Lee said.