U.S. School Bus Driver Headcount Drops to 202,076

The total number of school bus drivers employed in the United States stood at 202,076 in August 2025. That figure represents a decline of nearly 10 percent from the 223,252 drivers recorded in August 2019. The reduction in workforce has forced districts to adjust operations, resulting in service disruptions for students and parents across the country.

In Fort Wayne, Indiana, a shortage of drivers caused thousands of students to stay home for remote learning over three days in April 2026. South Carolina’s largest school district issued more than 7,000 delay notifications to parents during the first 10 weeks of the 2025-2026 school year. Victoria Encarnacion, a parent in Waterbury, Connecticut, reported that her daughter missed her bus pickup approximately once a month. On one occasion, the daughter walked to multiple stops for an hour before returning home.

“She called me and told me, ‘Mom, I quit,’” Encarnacion said. “For her to go through that effort just to make it to school, it’s impactful for me to be like, all right, you know, just stay home.” Encarnacion noted that the uncertainty of daily pickup times creates stress for families. “As a parent, is it stressful every day not knowing if the bus is going to pick up your kid? Absolutely,” she said.

Mark Medina, a regional director with the National Association for Pupil Transportation, attributed the staffing gap to post-pandemic labor market shifts. Drivers who hold commercial driver’s licenses can move to other industries for higher pay. Medina described the current environment as a “lose-lose situation” for drivers. “They’re doing the best that they can,” Medina said. “It’s not an easy thing to transport a bus with 50 kids. There’s a lot happening.”

Medina stated that pay has improved in recent years, and the association is seeking retirement cap waivers and tax relief for drivers. He cited split shifts and changes in risk factors for an older workforce due to COVID-19 as additional hurdles to hiring. “There’s a figure it out attitude in the school transportation world,” Medina said. “And I believe that if that mindset continues, we’re going to be all right.”

Lawmakers introduced the “Driving Forward Act” in 2025 to address a specific hiring barrier. The bill would remove the requirement for school bus drivers to identify engine parts and explain how they work. Currently, all commercial driver’s license holders must pass this knowledge test, a requirement lawmakers say is designed for long-haul trucking. The added training takes three or four extra days. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration stated that the exemption would not affect safety.

The legislation aims to shorten the time to entry for potential drivers. By removing the engine component identification test, the process would become less complex for those transitioning into school transportation. The bill remains under consideration as districts continue to manage the reduced driver pool.