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No thanks, many say to thankless driver's job

In Hillsborough and Pasco, driver shortages sprinkle sand in the engine of transportation.

By VANESSA DE LA TORRE
Published December 19, 2005

[Times photo: David Zentz]

Bus service recorder Joe Minshall greets drivers as they enter the Pinellas school district's High Point Bus Compound in Clearwater on Thursday. Five percent of the total fleet, about 100 buses, consistently arrive late to school, according to a district survey.

TAMPA - As often happens in the world of "pupil transportation," work began with a hiccup one recent morning in Hillsborough County.

A hulking yellow school bus broke down. The driver, a 25-year veteran, called a district mechanic and soon was on her way. At 6:23 a.m. - 10 minutes late - she arrived at a stop where 11 high school students were waiting.

"Good morning!" the driver said.

"Don't you say good morning to me," one girl said acidly. "You need to learn to get this bus on time."

Beverly DeMott, the transportation director for Hillsborough schools, watched the exchange later on videotape.

She saw the same girl yell "Snake," inciting near-panic among other students while the bus was moving. The girl also unleashed a hail of obscenities at the driver. Another student threw a book. Later: More insults and defiance.

"Write me up. I don't care if the camera is watching."

Later, the "snake" girl yelled, "Roach!"

"I looked at that tape and thought, "That says it all,"' said DeMott, who, like her peers in districts nationwide, is struggling to find school bus drivers. "For $9.85 an hour, it's not worth it."

If this had been a beginning driver, she said, there could have been a riot, an accident, a resignation.

Hillsborough has been operating the last four years with 60 unfilled driver positions. This year, the number doubled to 127. The district trains about 200 drivers a year, but it's never enough to keep up with turnover, especially among novice drivers.

A similar driver shortage is a major reason behind bus system problems in Pinellas, where late or no-show buses prompted thousands of parents to complain earlier this year.

Forty-six new drivers are being trained to start work early next year, but the district is holding its breath because many existing drivers typically decide after the holidays to look for other jobs, said Pinellas transportation director Anthony Dzielski.

"It's not good for the parents, not good for the schools and not good for the bus drivers," said Mike Park, the longtime transportation director for Pasco schools, which also need more drivers.

The shortage causes a chain reaction each morning. With too few drivers available to cover routes, supervisors and relief drivers are pressed into service. Because most of the substitutes are unfamiliar with the routes, they move slower and arrive later.

Busing administrators say it's difficult in the current economy to find qualified drivers when they can find equal or better-paying jobs that don't require them to navigate routes, fight traffic and discipline students at the same time.

In Pinellas, the average driver is 50 years old, has spent seven years on the job and makes about $12 an hour.

"I have a gut feeling that this is one of those jobs that's on the endangered occupations list," said DeMott, the Hillsborough bus official. "It's something that people don't want to do; the responsibility is overwhelming. And it's a totally thankless job ... They say, "I can't take this anymore. I'm going to (work at) Wal-Mart."'

--Times staff writer Thomas C. Tobin contributed to this report.

[Last modified December 19, 2005, 01:38:18]