LAUSD SHORT ON BUS DRIVERS DISTRICT COMPETING WITH CONTRACTORS TO FILL 100 OPENINGS.

Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer

School leaders are scrambling to find dozens of bus drivers in the face of a shortage that could mean route delays and affect transportation

for thousands of students.

The district, which serves the transportation needs of about 70,000 students, has to cover anywhere from 200 to 250 routes daily because of illness, vacation or a backlog in hiring.

So far, interruptions to the bus schedules have been minimal, with a relatively small number of delays, but the district wants to fill positions before it becomes a bigger problem.

In addition, the four companies that contract with the district for transportation services - Laidlaw Education Services, Atlantic Express, Durham and Student First/Cardinal - have been unable to fully staff the buses, and the district has had to step in to fill their vacancies, which has exacerbated the issue.

``The burden of getting LAUSD students to school falls on us, and for that reason, to get our own absences covered and that of contractor absences is becoming a challenge on a daily basis,'' said David Palmer, deputy director of transportation for LAUSD. ``There's been a slight increase over the last several years, but this year, the great problem we're experiencing is contractors are not fully staffed, and it's straining to cover our own routes as well as the contractors' routes.''

The district, which serves 2,100 routes, is looking to fill 100 openings, which pay anywhere from $13.95 to $24.20 per hour depending on the type of bus.

The district is looking at training new drivers and hiring qualified drivers to increase the pool for their transportation needs.

But whenever a school district experiences a shortage and looks to hire qualified drivers from a limited pool, it ends up affecting the companies that contract with them, who are already having a hard time finding drivers.

The district pays drivers a little bit more and offers benefits, so the contractors will certainly take a hit when LAUSD starts hiring, said Liz Sanchez from Laidlaw Education Services.

``What'll end up happening is if they hire some of our people and we can't cover that work, then those same people are going to cover that work. It's a vicious cycle,'' said Sanchez, vice president-general manager of the company. ``We plan for it as much as we can by pumping up training and recruiting to fill the positions of people leaving to go to LAUSD. This is a practice done for years.''

For the past several years, the number of available drivers in Southern California has declined - a trend many in the business attribute to a strong economy.

Historically, the part-time, entry-level job experiences a decrease in applicants wanting to enter the profession when the economy is doing well.

``When the economy is good, usually this is what happens because it's a part-time job and it's a tough job,'' Sanchez said.

The district has seen drivers leave to drive buses for the city, airport shuttles and UPS, Palmer said.

Qualified drivers and people interested in receiving training can call the district at [phone].

If a school bus does not arrive within 15 minutes of the regularly scheduled pickup time, LAUSD's Palmer urges parents and students to call [phone] to find out the status of the bus.

Naush Boghossian, [phone]

naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com