Denver Public Schools is preparing for students to return to the classroom. However, some kids may have trouble getting to school with the district dealing with a shortage of bus drivers.
According to CBS4, it's pretty common for school districts to be down a few drivers at the start of the new year. But DPS is currently short of at least 50 drivers just a week away from the start of school.
This is the worst bus driver shortage the district has seen in years, according to the district's transportation department.
“It’s an ongoing challenge, but a challenge that’s getting worse,” Jim Carpenter, DPS Deputy Superintendent of Operations, told CBS4.
DPS is currently offering hiring incentives and is even considering increasing wages. There are concerns that the city's vaccine requirement may be worsening the shortage.
“On the other side, to the extent the vaccines mean that our drivers are able to keep coming to work every day,” said Carpenter. “They don’t need to quarantine and they aren’t getting significantly sick, then that helps us deliver our services in a more consistent way.”
DPS isn't the only district facing this problem. Jefferson County has temporarily canceled some bus routes until they can fill dozens of positions, reports CBS4.
Carpenter told CBS4 that DPS has no plans to reduce service to its almost 220 routes.
For more information on the open positions click here.