Bus drivers needed in Windsor-Essex as school year begins

Local companies that provide school bus services to Windsor-Essex's public and Catholic schools are in urgent need of drivers. 

There are 13 more buses serving both the Greater Essex County District School Board and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board. The increase in buses, according to the manager of Student Transportation Services Gabrielle McMillan, is due to COVID-19 protocols. 

The service only has enough drivers for all 465 buses, but no extra staff to cover absences. 

"The bus operators are constantly recruiting for new drivers, but it's not something that people are running to sign up for," said McMillan, adding that eight drivers chose to quit rather than comply with the vaccination disclosure policy. 

She said they would like to have at least 20 extra drivers to cover vacations and sicknesses. 

McMillan says they used to pack 58 elementary students on a bus, but because of seat assignments, reduced numbers of children per seat, and the fact that the seat behind the driver has to remain empty, they now only have 46 to 48 students on a bus.

"If you have three small ones from the same family they may all be sitting together," said McMillan.

All the students have to wear masks unless they have an authorized exemption. She says there hasn't been any objections from parents to the policy.

McMillan says recruiting for new drivers is ongoing and she doesn't know how long it will take to fill the vacancies.