“Statewide, we need hundreds and hundreds of drivers to be fully-staffed for this fall,” Ryan Dellinger, Executive Director of Pennsylvania School Bus Association, said. A bus driver shortage is nothing new, but the pandemic only made it worse. “The last thing we ever want to do is to have kids unable to get to school,” Dellinger said.

Pennsylvania School Bus Association Executive Director Ryan Dellinger said the school bus driver shortage in his state had been an issue since well before COVID-19 hit, but the pandemic added new obstacles. A significant portion of the school bus drivers across the state are retirees, he said, who don’t want to risk exposure to the virus.

There is currently an ongoing shortage of school bus drivers across the state of Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, the number of drivers continues to dwindle by the year. "This is something that is not only a state issue; it is a national issue. School bus companies and schools across the country are struggling to really recruit and retain drivers," said Ryan Dellinger of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association

Whether it's rising COVID cases, retirements, or a lack of funding, several schools are suffering from a driver shortage.

Pennsylvania is in danger of losing the school bus industry is an op-ed article released by the executive director, Mike Berk urging the importance of the school bus industry and due to the current pandemic that if we do not take extreme measures to keep the industry alive. As Pennsylvania’s school bus industry, our job is to keep the wheels on the bus going round and round. And we love what we do. Our mission is to safely transport more than 1.5 million Pennsylvania students to and from school...

In this article, The Herald interviews executive director Mike Berk about PSBA's view on the COVID-19 Pandemic and the concerns around only putting a 1/4 of the students on a school vehicle and the financial strains this will cause on all parties. To read the full interview please click here.

As the fall school year starts, the focus on school safety is beginning before students even step foot into the classroom. I spoke with the Pennsylvania School Bus Association to see what precautions have been put in place to keep their young riders safe. For bus drivers, the return to in-person learning signals the return to work. Despite the nearly six-month lull, the PA School Bus Association said their drivers have been busy brainstorming, preparing, and implementing new changes. “...

Check out this article from the Philadelphia Inquirer as Particia Madej, interviews Mike Berk, executive director about the challenges of safely transporting children to school and the driver shortage being faced here in Pennsylvania. Click Here to read the full article 

Fox 43 interviews Executive Director Mike Berk on the school bus safety concerns school bus contractors face as they prepare for school reopenings amid COVID-19. Click here to watch the interview.