ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – I always thought driving a school bus looked straightforward: Big vehicle, stop signs, kids. How hard could it be?
Turns out, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye, and St. Johns County School District gave me the chance to find out firsthand.
The district is dealing with something familiar to school systems across the country: a bus driver shortage.
With just days to go before school starts, the district confirmed on Friday that it is about 62 bus drivers short, which means drivers will likely be doing multiple runs on the first day of school.
Al Pantano, senior director of transportation, says the problem isn’t new.
“Our authorization is 350 school bus operators. We ended the school year somewhere around 300,” Pantano said.
To help close that gap, the district is actively recruiting and making it easy for anyone curious about the job to just come try it. Pantano says there’s an open invitation to test drive a bus.
And if someone decides they want to make it official, the district says they will make it as efficient as possible.
“We do everything for them,” Pantano said. “We’ll take them through all the training: classroom training, behind the wheel, we’ll license them, everything. We have recruiting bonuses and sign-on bonuses.”
That’s where Denise Perkins comes in. As a bus operator trainer for St. Johns County School District, she was my guide for the day — patient, encouraging and remarkably calm as I climbed into the driver’s seat for the first time.
The school district utilizes a practice course at First Coast Technical College (FCTC) in St. Augustine, where drivers have plenty of space and privacy to concentrate and learn.
Before I even thought about touching the ignition, Perkins made one thing crystal clear.
“First thing we do: We put our seat belts on when we’re in our seat,” she said.
With the belt buckled and the bus rumbling to life, the real lesson began. Mirrors are everything when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle this size. Perkins walked me through exactly what I should be seeing through the convex and flat mirrors.
I’ll admit, there were plenty of bells and whistles to be aware of. There are buttons that open the doors, flash the yellow lights and flash the stop sign, so it’s important to get a grasp of what each button does.
By the end, I gained a whole new respect for the drivers who do this every single day. It’s not just driving. It’s precision, patience and responsibility, all before most people have had their morning coffee.
Applicants interested in becoming a bus operator can click here for more information.
News4JAX photojournalist Cade Westbrook contributed to this report.