At Monarch Bus Service in Minneapolis, it was high time as bus drivers received their route assignments on Wednesday. Others were undergoing training to pick up their children for school in just over a week.

Tom Severson is the COO of Minnesota Coaches, which operates the Monarch Bus Service, among other companies, and employs about 1,200 bus drivers. In total, the company has contracts with about 10 school districts to provide school bus services, Severson said.

The industry is suffering from a driver shortage, which is causing disruptions and delays for students on their way to school.

“You know, it’s changed tremendously over the last decade. Even before COVID, there was a shortage in the school bus industry,” Severson said, adding that urban school districts have been hit harder than rural ones.

“I think it has a lot to do with availability and competition,” he explained.

But at the beginning of this school year, the shortage is more manageable than in recent years, Severson said.

“The application process is going better again this year, there are a lot of applications, a lot of interviews and a lot of training being offered,” he said.

“We’re probably still looking for 12 to 18 drivers in our metropolitan areas, and fewer in the out-of-state areas.”

Although job postings throughout Monarch Bus Service made it clear that there is still a need for more drivers, Severson said he does not expect the job postings to cause major disruptions to bus service this year.

“We definitely hire more people than we need these days,” he added. “We’re well equipped and have someone on hand to take over on those mornings or afternoons when someone can’t come in.”

However, the first week of school is always an exception, he added, and asked parents to bring their children to the bus stop a little earlier and to be prepared for slightly longer waiting times.

“All parents have to expect that there will be delays in the first few days of the new school year. There are driving lessons, road construction work and the like,” he explained. “There are always delays like this.”

For those interested in becoming a school bus driver, there is a training and licensing process that typically takes about 14 days, Severson said.

The trainers in Minnesota would conduct the training themselves and cover the costs of doing so and obtaining a commercial driver’s license, he added.