Action News Jax Investigates: School bus driver shortage across Northeast Florida

An Action News Jax investigation reveals our area is short dozens of school bus drivers, and it is affecting the service you and your children rely on every day.

Reporter Russell Colburn spoke exclusively with a Putnam County mom who said she's left with a tough choice: Have her 6-year-old walk alone along a busy highway, or remove her from the school and day care she's gone to since she was an infant.

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Ka'dee Frank shared a notice with Action News Jax she said the Putnam County School District gave to parents.

It states all elementary day care students whose day care is less than two miles from their school will not be transported to school or back next school year, due to a shortage of bus drivers.

“I should be able to know that when I drop my child off for day care that the school bus that has been picking her up for the last two years will be still be there to pick her up and drop her off,” Frank said.

Action News Jax found out the problem is areawide.

Putnam County said ideally, they'd have 93 bus drivers, but they only have 75, a shortage of 18 drivers. Clay County wants 210, but right now they have 195, 15 too few.

Ideally, St Johns would employee 188 drivers. That's what they're budgeted for, but they only have 185, a shortage of three.

Baker County has 49 and wants 50, so they're only down one, but they say they're short substitute drivers needed to fill in.

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In all, this means our area is short at least 37 bus drivers.

“Now we've got to be worried about our getting our kids to school because the county is dropping the ball on getting our kids to and from school,” Frank said.

The Putnam County School District said the reason for the driver shortage is due to a small pool of candidates who have a commercial driver's license.

Another reason could be low pay. In Putnam County, drivers start at less than $12 an hour.

Duval County Public Schools is not reporting a shortage in school bus drivers.

Cox Media Group