Governor Kathy Hochul Announces New York State Actions For School Bus Driver Shortage

Yesterday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a multi-agency plan to address the school bus driver shortage that is affecting schools across the state. Governor Hochul announced that the plan includes short-term steps to remove barriers and recruit traditional and non-traditional Commercial Driver’s License holders, expand CDL testing opportunities, and enhance processes all designed to get more drivers into school buses. In addition to the plan announced, the state will launch outreach to more than 550,000 CDL license holders in New York State.

Governor Hochul stated: “Our schools and public health officials have moved mountains to ensure our children receive an in-person education this year, and we are leaving no stone unturned to make sure schools have adequate bus service to bring students to school and back,” Governor Hochul said. “While the shortage of school bus drivers is not unique to New York State, I have directed state agencies to utilize creative approaches and use every tool at their disposal to help districts affected by the bus driver shortage, so we can bring in as many qualified bus drivers as possible as quickly as possible.”

Source: 13 WHAM