A statewide shortage of school bus drivers is forcing Mississippi school districts to delay routes and rely on substitutes, coaches and teachers to get students to class — creating daily uncertainty for families and cutting into instructional time.
In Lamar County, Transportation Director Mitchell Smith said the district currently has seven bus routes without permanent drivers. On days when staffing falls short, students can lose minutes of their school day as routes are delayed.
“If we don’t have the amount of drivers we need in the morning, then we’re going to have to delay that route until I can have a driver drop off at the school and then come back out and pick up another [route],” Smith said.
The issue is not isolated to Lamar County. According to the 2025 Mississippi Educator Workforce Shortages and Strategies report, the state reported 750 bus driver vacancies — an increase of 217 from the year before.
Jonathan Tillman, school transportation administrator for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the shortage worsened during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly because many bus drivers were older and more vulnerable to the virus.
“When COVID hit, they decided that they didn’t want to drive anymore,” Tillman said.
Although the situation has improved slightly since then, Tillman said schools are still feeling the effects, often turning to coaches and teachers to cover routes. Smith said even if Lamar County fills its seven open routes, substitute drivers will remain essential when permanent drivers are absent.
Daily uncertainty for families
For parents, the shortage often shows up as unpredictable mornings.
Suzanne Omran, a parent and employee at Longleaf Elementary School in Lamar County, said the bus driver shortage has caused daily uncertainty for her family. While her daughter’s route has remained mostly steady, her son experienced frequent changes.
She said substitute drivers led to shifting pickup times, sometimes changing by several minutes from day to day. Though her son made it to school on time, the inconsistent schedule made mornings harder to manage.
“Five minutes makes a difference when you’re trying to pack up and leave for your own day at work,” Omran said.
Omran said working within the school district gave her flexibility that other parents may not have.
It’s the first contact with the district on a daily basis,” she said. “It is incredibly important for us to have great bus drivers.”
Challenges to retaining drivers
Tillman said low pay and lack of support are major barriers to retaining bus drivers.
“I think the lowest pay that I saw was $10.71 an hour, and just think — school bus drivers work only about five to six hours a day,” he said.
He noted that some counties pay $25 to $30 an hour, depending on experience.
Tillman also said limited support with student discipline contributes to the problem. Bus drivers are responsible for operating 71-passenger buses, often with two to three students per seat, and may not feel adequately backed when behavior issues arise.
“Think about 71 kids on the bus, all given to that one driver … and [they are] just loud and don’t want to listen to the driver,” Tillman said.
Safety, staffing and what comes next
Tillman said districts want to avoid overcrowding buses and prioritize student safety. One option, he said, is for parents to drive students to school when possible.
“If you can pick your students up, we encourage you to pick your students up, but we will get them home — but it’ll be a little bit later than usual,” Tillman said.
Smith said the shortage is also shaped by the time and requirements needed to become a school bus driver in Mississippi. Applicants must be at least 21 years old and hold a Class A or B commercial driver’s license with passenger and school bus endorsements. Some districts also require air brake restrictions to be removed, depending on the buses used.
Drivers must pass background checks and drug and alcohol testing. Those without a CDL must complete entry-level driver training, which is provided through local school districts.
To help recruit drivers, the Mississippi Department of Education has required advertising on school buses statewide.
Brian McGairty, MDE’s director of safe and orderly schools, said the shortage underscores how essential bus drivers are to public education.
“It just really highlights and paramounts the essentials of that position and how critically needed it is, and how there is an ongoing demand for continuous recruitment,” McGairty said.
