Jordan School District regrets bus driver shortage that caused delays

WEST JORDAN, Utah — The labor shortage hit the Jordan School District to start the new calendar year.  Officials say over a dozen school bus drivers didn’t come to work, forcing a lot of students to wait. Officials with the JSD say they’ve been dealing with a school bus driver shortage all year, just like other school districts all over the country.  Spokesperson Sandy Reisgraf says 18 drivers didn’t show up for work Monday, for multiple reasons, and it caused a massive delay.

Reisgraf said, “We couldn’t make it to all the stops at the regular times.”

The district told parents to prepare for a two-hour delay.  However, Reisgraf says it ended up lasting only 30 to 45 minutes.  Still, she says the district is apologizing to all of the impacted families.

“We understand and we apologize to parents.  We know it’s terribly inconvenient and we know it’s difficult on families when buses are running late,” she said.

The bus driver shortage has been straining the district for the entire school year.  Reisgraf says their workers have been pulling double shifts to meet their demand.

“They’re coming in at four or five in the morning and working until four, five or six at night,” she said.

According to Resigraf, they have 30 open driver positions that they want people to apply for, and the district will pay for the driver’s CDL training.

“We’re seeing a greater need than what we have seen in the past, so much so that it’s ‘all hands-on deck’ in our transportation department,” she said.

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