SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — As the state's largest school district prepares for a news conference Tuesday, there is one major question looming about school bus drivers in Shelby County—will there be enough?
About 24,000 students rely on bus transportation in the Memphis Shelby County School District. The company who provides the buses is First Student Transportation, who have said they will need around 300 bus drivers to cover all the bus routes for those 24,000 children.
MSCS is worried they won't make that number. So far, First Student Transportation also has not released the exact number of bus drivers they have or how many more they will need.
Here's what the company is doing to make sure they have the drivers:
- They are holding a job fair.
- Starting pay for drivers is $20 an hour/
- They are offering sign-on bonuses up to $3,500.
Still, even with these incentives, the question remains—will that be enough?
Those interested in becoming a bus driver can head over to workatfirst.com.
ABC 24 will update you as we learn more about how the school district is working with the company.