Solving the school bus driver shortage isn’t just about better pay or flashy recruitment. In today’s job market, there are easier, less stressful options—and let’s be honest, driving a school bus is one of the hardest. Managing the road and student behavior at the same time is a major challenge. If we want to attract and keep drivers, we need to make the job more focused and less overwhelming.

Here are three proven tactics that help districts do exactly that:

1. Give drivers an incident report button

Instead of trying to manage behavior and drive at the same time, drivers can press a single button to flag an issue for school staff. This alert prompts administrators to check the live camera feed and decide how to respond—whether that’s calling the student in later or intervening through live audio. It shifts responsibility for discipline to the people best positioned to handle it.

Why it’s important to drivers:

It frees them to focus entirely on driving, which lowers stress and improves safety.

2. Enable live intervention from support teams

Two-way communication tools—like onboard speakers and live audio—allow district staff to step in the moment a behavior issue starts escalating. Instead of drivers trying to shout over noise or stop to call for help, a calm adult voice can intervene instantly, defusing the situation without disruption. This turns the bus into a shared responsibility, not a solo challenge.

Why it’s important to drivers:

They don’t have to be the only adult handling discipline while also keeping a moving vehicle under control.

3. Assign high-risk routes to monitored support

Every district has a few routes that are tougher—whether it’s behavior, traffic, or complex stops. By assigning these routes to buses with real-time monitoring and staff ready to assist, you ensure that high-risk situations don’t fall on a single driver’s shoulders. Pairing challenging routes with more tools and support makes the job more manageable and fair.

Why it’s important to drivers:

They know they’re not being set up to fail—there’s backup when it’s needed most.

 Bottom line: If you want to hire and keep good drivers, don’t just market the job—make it a better one. These small changes add up fast and show drivers your district has their back. If you want to improve driver recruitment, show them you have features that make the job easier, safer, and less overwhelming from day one.

Built for K-12 districts, Transportant enhances safety, streamlines operations, and builds trust with parents. With an all-in-one system, districts can enhance safety, improve response times, and streamline transportation with real-time GPS, live-streaming cameras, automated ridership tracking, and route optimization.