School bus driver shortage continues in Lee County

A staffing shortage in Southwest Florida is causing concern as we get closer to the beginning of the school year.

Although Lee County has hired some drivers, they’ve also lost some. And with school starting Aug. 10, the district just doesn’t have enough bus drivers to get kids to and from school on time.

While they need 139 bus drivers, the Lee County Schools Transportation Director, Roger Lloyd, knows that’s not going to happen. They’re going to work with what they have, so Lloyd’s asking parents and students for patience. That’s because “The reality is the buses are going to be late this fall,” Lloyd said.

The people in charge of Lee County school transportation are having a tough time staying afloat. “We’re treading water,” Lloyd said.

This is a ‘Bus disruption,’ and the numbers are staggering. “We’re still in desperate need of drivers. We need 729 drivers,” Lloyd said. “And at this point in time, we have 590 hired. So we are 139 drivers short, which as you can imagine, that’s going to lead to a lot of open routes.”

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