As the school year wraps up, many districts will now be focused on actively recruiting bus drivers for the 2024-2025 school year.

School districts across our area, like the Chatham Central School District, are facing a shortage of bus drivers and bus attendants.

The district hosted several job fairs this month to recruit new drivers, even giving them opportunities to drive one of those big yellow buses.

“Either way, whether you’re becoming a school bus driver or an attendant, it’s a very impactful job,” said Transportation Supervisor, Josh Loeffler. “So having the opportunity to work with students because we’re the first people that we see out of their homes and the last ones that they see before they go home, at the end of the day, we can make a difference in a child’s life in more ways than one.”

The Chatham School District’s starting pay for bus drivers is $23.36 an hour, and $22.36 an hour for bus attendants. No experience is necessary, and paid training is provided.

Take a look at what it’s like to drive a school bus by watching the video of Caitlin Irla’s story.