SPOKANE, Wash. — A nationwide bus driver shortage is impacting students in Spokane Public Schools. Durham School Bus Services said drivers recently quit over the vaccine mandate. The shortage has even impacted high school sports.
Durham spokesperson Edward Flavin said this is the greatest bus driver shortage its ever experienced.
He could not pinpoint why there is a shortage. But Flavin confirmed, since Washington's vaccine mandate, 11 drivers have resigned because of it.
He adds Durham is meeting with SPS Wednesday night to explore options that best serve its bus routes.
Here's what we know so far about the nationwide bus driver shortage and its impacts here in Spokane. We can confirm Spokane Public Schools is feeling the impacts of this nationwide bus driver shortage.
On Tuesday night, SPS sent out a text alert and email last night that Durham is looking for substitute and permanent drivers.
We also know last night's Ferris and Shadle High school JV football game was cancelled when no buses showed up. Durham confirms it just did not have a driver for those games to transport the students.
Rogers Varsity Football was set to play Lakeside on Saturday, but they could not get a bus. We confirmed Lakeside high school sent its own buses to pick the Rogers team up.
SPS parents have also told us their students' buses have picked them up late, or not at all. Devony Audet is an SPS parent who also serves on the District's citizen's advisory committee. She told KREM 2's Amanda Roley what she and other parents have experienced with buses recently.
"I get text messages from the schools when the buses are late and I'm getting these messages daily that buses are late picking kids up in the morning," Audet said. "Which means they are out waiting, and that's a safety concern. Yesterday, at the elementary school, there was a bus that was an hour late picking the students up."
Durham emphasized to KREM 2 its bus drivers are working tirelessly to transport students, despite the shortage.