WCPSS adds nine schools to parent‑transport list amid bus-driver shortage
CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wake County families at nine additional schools will be responsible for getting their children to and from campus this school year as the district continues to face a shortage of full-time bus drivers and works to improve efficiency.
The Wake County Public School System said ongoing vacancies have made it difficult to cover all 565 bus routes. The Wake County chapter of the NCAE argued that the changes will increase pressure on the remaining drivers.
Anna Grant, president of NCAEWake, said drivers are stretched thin.
"Bus drivers are not paid and supported and respected in a way that matches the critical work that they do," she said. "We can't expect to recruit and maintain drivers long-term when they have to work second or even third jobs to make ends meet."
To keep buses running, the district is bringing in multiple vendors to help transport students with disabilities. It is also expanding its nontransportation zones -- areas where students who live within a set distance from school are not eligible for bus service.
Nine more schools have been added, bringing the total to 130. The latest additions include Stough Elementary in west Raleigh and Moore Square Magnet Middle in downtown Raleigh.
Wake School Board Chair Tyler Swanson said the district continues to work on staffing.
"Recruitment for bus drivers is tough. Compensation goes into that," he said. "We have taken great strides to recruit and retain bus drivers, but there's always more work that can be done."
District officials say they can pull personnel from within the transportation department to help fill gaps as the school year begins.
