2 Toronto school boards hiring bus drivers to deal with shortage

Two Toronto school boards are hiring and training school-bus drivers to help ease a shortage that has caused major delays across the city and affected more than 2,600 students in the first week of school

The Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board had a shortage of 60 drivers but both boards say that number has now been reduced to about 45.

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Both boards, which share transportation through the Toronto Student Transportation Group, have been scrambling to find drivers.

That has resulted in new drivers being trained and already qualified drivers being hired.

Students who use three bus lines, Attridge Transportation, Wheelchair Accessible Transit and Sharp Bus Lines, have been experiencing major delays.

Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the TDSB, said the bus-driver shortage is easing slowly.

"It's fair to say we will definitely see improvement starting today but it will still not be business as usual, although it will be better. Students and parents will continue to see some delays," Bird said Monday.

'It's a fluid situation'

"We are starting to get some routes filled with drivers here and there."

Bird said 1,275 TDSB students were affected by the shortage at about 50 schools last week. 

John Yan, spokesperson for the TCDSB, said 1,390 of its students were affected by the shortage at about 49 schools last week.

"We're finding improvements and we're hoping for incremental improvements as the week progresses. On any given day, it's a fluid situation. We are asking parents to be patient," Yan said.

Yan said it takes two weeks to train a bus driver and the board hopes the shortage will ease in the next couple of weeks.