A severe shortage of bus drivers in Fairbanks, Alaska, has forced the closure of schools due to transportation issues. The situation highlights a long-standing problem that has been exacerbated by recent weather events.
Published: Dec. 18, 2024 at 4:33 PM AKST FAIRBANKS , Alaska (KTUU) - Fairbanks North Star Borough School District leaders said the weather-related school closure on Dec. 13 -- which was the first time classes were canceled this school year due to transportation issues-- symbolized a chronic bus driver shortage dating back at least one decade. On Friday, district school bus contractor Durham School Services said of their 101 drivers, 10 called out, including five who were stuck in the snow.
Once exhausting substitute and standby drivers -- the district’s system to absorb callouts -- FNSB School District Transportation Director Ryan Hinton said routes are combined, essentially running two routes with one bus. “The problem with that,” Hinton said, “the bus can’t be at two places at one time. When, if it’s scheduled on two separate buses, they’re running simultaneously. So it’s going to be late to one or both of those runs. So it’s going to cause delays when you have combined routes.This number is adjusted as staffing levels change. At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, 90 routes were able to be run asBecause the district already compacted its routes to accommodate capacity, Hinton said there is now little breathing room to adjust schedules. Once the combined routes would make the bus impractically late to its destinations, then the district begins canceling routes. On Friday, the callouts combined with a difficult weather situation, Hinton said, led to safety considerations. “We have the potential to see buses that get stuck up in the hills, especially our special needs buses,” Hinton said. These Special Education bus routes are given the top priority when making sure routes are covered, and those routes often involve buses running through areas where they’re more likely to be caught in the snow.In a situation like Friday, where those routes are inaccessible, Hinton said from a transportation perspective the alternative is to cancel schoo
BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE SCHOOL CLOSURE TRANSPORTATION WEATHER FAIRBANKS
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