Amid province-wide shortage, London region needs 120 school bus drivers

School bus driver shortages are nothing new, but this year the added pressure of a virus that can be especially deadly for older people means many who did the job in years past have opted to stay away, at least until for the start of the school year. 

The London region needs about 120 more drivers to make up for the shortage. Across the province 2,000 more drivers are needed to make sure those who might fall ill can be replaced, said Les Cross, owner of Elgie Bus Lines and spokesperson for the Southwestern Ontario School Bus Operators Association. 

"People are telling us they'd like to return to their jobs but they're just sitting on the sidelines right now," Cross said. 

That's meant major school bus shortages in some parts of the province. In London, several routes were cancelled as school began this week. 

"School bus drivers are often retired from other careers, so they fall into that category of, in a lot of cases, having compromised immune systems or family members with compromised immune systems, and any risk for them is too much risk, so they made the decision to not return, at least for the time being," Cross said. 

Prepare for route cancellations

John Prendergast, vice president of Sharp Bus Lines, which had several cancellations at Thames Valley and London District Catholic school boards on Monday and Tuesday, said usually, he recruits and trains drivers year-round. 

"Of course we had to take a pause in March and April, because it was not possible to do any training. We offer up to 60 hours of one-on-one training time, so we lost those crucial couple of months and it takes time to make that up," Prendergast said. 

In general, London routes are covered with drivers, but if someone calls in sick or otherwise needs time off, there's no one to take the driver's place, he said. 

"Traditionally we have sitting spares, but right now we don't have that flexibility," Prendergast said.

It's impossible to predict how long the shortages will last, because many drivers are waiting and seeing what happens with COVID-19 cases, Cross said. 

"I think parents should be prepared for cancellations," he said.

"Leading up to returning to school, drivers were on the fence and you didn't know which way they were going to go. And they waited till the last minute to declare, 'Okay, this isn't for me. I can't do this right now. My family won't let me.'"