LANCASTER COUNTY, S.C. — Lancaster County School District Safety and Transportation announced Monday evening that they are facing a shortage of school bus drivers.
According to the district's Facebook post, they are currently battling driver absences for illness and other personal situations.
"I wish there was a trick that I could perform to make it all better. Just not possible though," the post read. "My staff feels the burden that parents are feeling when buses run late and kids are inconvenienced."
The post went on to say that there isn’t any such thing as a sub bus driver anymore.
"Now, when a driver is out we just absorb it, run late and add runs. We would love to have subs but there are no applicants for such a job and there hasn’t been for years," Lancaster County School District Safety and Transportation wrote.
This school bus driver shortage is a problem that is happening nationwide. According to a 2021 HopSkipDrive survey made up of directors of transportation, and Superintendents of school districts, nearly 78% said they are constrained by bus driver shortages and 81% reported that COVID-19 has exacerbated existing shortage issues.
"All indications are there is a bus driver shortage. We have seen this occur over the past several years, but certainly, with the onset of COVID-19 and the challenges of the pandemic, it certainly exacerbated the condition this year," said Macysyn.
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