ALBANY, NY (TIP):  New York officials are taking immediate steps to tackle a school bus driver shortage statewide. Governor Kathy Hochul announced a multi-agency plan this weekend to address the shortage: The plan includes steps to remove barriers and recruit people with traditional and non-traditional commercial driver’s licenses; expanding CDL testing opportunities and expediting processes designed to get more drivers into school buses, she said.

New York State is launching outreach to more than 550,000 CDL license holders, she said.

According to NY1.com, the shortages were sparked by the pandemic; many drivers who are older left their positions over COVID-19 fears; districts are now facing shortages of 15 to 20 percent. The post added that many did not know until recently that a state mandate to vaccinate or test school employees would include school bus drivers. The shortages have forced schools who have routes uncovered to seek alternatives, including asking parents to pick up their kids, the NY1 report said.

Steps for the long term include changes in regard to the training and licensing of drivers, as well as broader recruitment efforts, Hochul said. “Our schools and public health officials have moved mountains to ensure our children receive an in-person education this year, and we are leaving no stone unturned to make sure schools have adequate bus service to bring students to school and back,” Hochul said.

The shortage of school bus drivers is not unique to New York State, but the goal is to use “creative approaches” to get bus drivers into place as soon as possible, she said.

Creative approaches to recruitment include signing and retention bonuses, expansion of benefits to the drivers, and other options to recruit drivers in a nationally competitive market, Hochul said; schools can use federal funds to provide the benefits.

Interested drivers will be surveyed and their information then shared with local school districts seeking drivers; the schools will work through lists to recruit interested drivers in their areas, Hochul said.

The state will also target currently unemployed drivers through the Department of Labor and work with law enforcement, firefighters, military, and other organizations that have trained drivers in order to find more school bus drivers, Hochul said.

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is also removing the 14-day waiting period between the permit test and the road tests; through cooperation with county-run DMVs the state will also help to increase capacity to administer written exams and road tests. New York State is also opening new CDL driver testing sites by partnering with the State University of New York, the Thruway Authority, the New York Racing Association, and the Office of General Services to use large lots on their various sites for the road test. For school staff who currently hold a CDL, the state will set up expedited testing to obtain a permit to drive vans and buses temporarily, Hochul said.

Other plans include exploring alternative licensing entities and expanded partnerships with other state agencies, Hochul said.

Many school districts receive a significant percentage of those funds in reimbursement from the state and can therefore offer more competitive pay without absorbing the full cost at the local level, she said.