A local school district is putting out the call for bus drivers.

Hartland Consolidated Schools is looking for anyone who might be interested in joining their team and bus drivers are being sought to fill part-time and full time routes. All training is provided, which is also paid. The starting wage is $16 an hour and a signing bonus is available. A link to apply is provided.

Finding enough bus drivers has been a recurring problem for local school districts. Various districts in Livingston County, including Pinckney and Brighton, have experienced a bus driver shortage and trouble recruiting enough drivers, so they end up using subs. The bus driver situation is said to be a national problem, not just a local one. A survey by School Bus Fleet magazine revealed that 22% of private bus contractors call their driver shortage “severe”. That has forced many districts to consolidate bus routes, with fewer stops.

The Livingston Educational Service Agency, which oversees the drivers and routes in all county school districts except Fowlerville, has since upped the starting pay from $14.50 to $16 an hour, in hopes of attracting more drivers. (JM)