There’s a Bus Driver Shortage. And No Wonder.

CityLab (06/28/2018)
  • Major American cities have a shortage of bus drivers.
  • Seattle, New Jersey and LA need 100-200 more drivers.
  • Many cities have been forced to work drivers overtime and cut back on available buses/routes.
  • While drivers receive above-average pay ($19.61/hour), starting salaries are much lower and union benefits are getting slashed.
  • The shortage will worsen given 63% of drivers are over 45.
  • Younger potential drivers are turned-off by daily people management (disruptive riders, conflict management) involved with bus driving.
  • Customer-service aspect of bus driving partially shelters profession from automation.