MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Good news for parents. With the first day of school less than two weeks away, it turns out Shelby County Schools has more than enough drivers.
Durham School Services are overflowing with bus drivers and looking for more.
Yet, the company is preparing for curve balls – like students who register late and the possibility of drivers calling in sick.
Tevin Gardner’s three grandkids ride the bus. He says it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“If a kid can’t get to school, that’s a problem. How they going to learn?” Gardner asked.
Nearly 23,000 SCS students typically ride the bus every year.
Gardner says a reliable bus schedule is crucial for parents.
“The parents are absolutely depending on the bus drivers to do their jobs at 100 percent.”
Without them, parents may be late to work.
That creates a ripple effect.
All Durham bus drivers have to pass an extensive background check, take a class and complete 20 hours of training behind the wheel before they can drive kids.
The company says 66 candidates are going through process right now.
Gardner is glad to hear it.
“You want to make sure that the kids are safe and you want to know who the driver is and their background, because you love your kids. You want to make sure everything is copasetic.”
The company is having drivers run through all the various routes right now, so all the kinks are worked out before the first day of school.
If you’d like to apply with Durham, you can head down to the bus bard on Getwell Road or apply online.
