Hampton Co. school officials seek solutions to ongoing bus driver shortage

HAMPTON COUNTY, S.C. (WTOC) - The Hampton County School District is actively searching for ways to ensure students get to school on time as an immediate shortage of school bus drivers impacts morning transportation.

Transportation challenges peaked earlier this week when the district had to delay the Brunson bus route due to a sudden shortage of drivers.

Although the academic school year in Hampton County began just three weeks ago, the district has already lost three bus drivers who resigned to accept other employment opportunities.

Hampton County School District Superintendent Dr. Glenda Sheffield noted that while school officials anticipated some transportation hurdles due to the nationwide bus driver shortage, the severity of the local deficit was unexpected.

“We’re not sitting and not trying to do anything about it,” Dr. Sheffield said. “We’re looking for other ways while we’re looking at hiring drivers. We’re looking at other alternatives in terms of what it is that we can do.”

As the district works to recruit and hire new permanent drivers, administrators are looking inward for temporary relief. Dr. Sheffield said they are currently asking non-teaching staff members within the district to step in and assist with bus routes in the interim.

Getting students to school on schedule remains a top priority for district leadership, who emphasize that transportation directly impacts a student’s readiness to learn.

“We all know that to engage students in their learning, we want them to show up, we want them to have a very, very great start to the day,” Dr. Sheffield said. “And not getting them to school on time is not having a good start to the day.”

The Hampton County School District is actively seeking both part-time and full-time bus drivers.

Anyone interested in applying is asked to contact the district’s Human Resources department directly.