Active-duty airmen to drive some Anchorage school buses

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With the Anchorage School District suffering a shortage of bus drivers, active-duty airmen will now be called into action behind the wheel.

In a letter sent to parents Friday afternoon, Anchorage School District Superintendent Jharrett Bryantt said that four airmen with the 673rd Logistics Readiness Squadron will drive buses beginning Sept. 1.

“We are on track to be fully staffed between now and October with these current trends and developments. However, we are still in need of bus driver applicants,” Bryantt wrote. “We currently have 162 bus drivers active on routes and 25 more in training. We are currently interviewing 21 potential candidates. Additionally, we will have 17 late return drivers joining us by Sept. 19. We are offering new bus drivers up to $2,500 extra and new bus attendants up to $500 extra for the first semester of the 2022-23 school year.”

The district will switch to the second group — or “cohort” — of students on Sept. 12 who will receive transportation on buses. Approximately two-thirds of students who are eligible for district transportation are unable to ride buses for as many as six weeks at a time due to the driver shortage.

“With the understanding that this is both a systemic issue and a national issue, I have launched a third-party audit of operations to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Bryantt wrote. “This includes the possible use of a new, state-of-the-art routing software. All options remain on the table, including school start times, as the effect could free up more drivers. More to come on that as we research possibilities.”

Bryantt encouraged those interested in learning to drive school buses to visit the driver recruitment page, and asked parents who have questions to visit the transportation FAQ page for answers.

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