The bus driver shortage continues to challenge school districts nationwide, with many struggling to maintain reliable transportation for students. According to the Economic Policy Institute, school bus driver employment remains 9.5 percent below 2019 staffing levels. And data from the AP-NORC 2025 State of School Transportation Report revealed that 81 percent of administrators reported bus driver shortages in their districts.
While hiring remains difficult, districts can take immediate action to support their existing drivers and make the role more attractive to potential candidates. By investing in the right tools and culture, you can help retain drivers and ease the burden of staffing gaps.
1. Equip Drivers with GPS and Navigation Tools
Modern school bus GPS technology transforms one of the most stressful aspects of a driver’s day: navigating complex routes efficiently. When drivers have real-time GPS navigation on tablets or integrated dashboard systems, they gain confidence and reduce the anxiety that comes with learning new routes or covering for absent colleagues.
School bus routing software with GPS integration provides turn-by-turn directions that account for bus-specific factors, such as height restrictions, narrow streets, and designated stops. This means less time studying paper maps, fewer wrong turns, and more predictable schedules. For substitute drivers or those covering unfamiliar routes, GPS technology eliminates the steep learning curve that often discourages people from entering the profession.
Beyond navigation, GPS tracking gives drivers peace of mind. If they encounter an unexpected road closure or traffic delay, the system can help them find alternate routes quickly. Dispatchers can monitor progress in real-time and provide support when needed, creating a safety net that helps drivers feel less isolated on the road.
Optimize Routes to Maximize Your Current Driver Pool
Advanced school bus routing software does more than guide drivers—it helps districts do more with fewer drivers. By analyzing factors such as student locations, actual vs. planned ridership, bus capacity, bell time windows, and road conditions, modern routing algorithms can consolidate stops and create more efficient routes, reducing the total number of buses and drivers needed.
This optimization becomes critical during a bus driver shortage. When you can serve the same number of students with fewer routes, you reduce the strain on your existing workforce. Drivers benefit from more manageable schedules, and districts gain flexibility when absences occur. Instead of scrambling to cover every route on days when drivers call out unexpectedly, optimized routing means you may be able to combine routes or make minor adjustments on the fly that keep transportation running smoothly.
Route optimization also identifies opportunities to balance workloads more fairly among drivers, preventing burnout that contributes to turnover. When school bus routing software distributes routes equitably based on time, distance, availability, and complexity, drivers feel the system is fair—and they’re more likely to stay.
2. Implement Easy-to-Use Student Ridership Tools
Student check-in and check-off systems give drivers the confidence that they’re fulfilling their most important responsibility: getting every child safely to their destination. Digital ridership tools allow students to scan on and off the bus, creating an accurate record that confirms each child boarded and exited at the correct location.
This technology directly addresses one of drivers’ biggest concerns—the fear of missing a student, allowing a child who does not belong to board the bus, or making a drop-off error. When a driver knows the system is validating and tracking each student’s journey, they can focus on safe driving rather than mentally tallying who got on and off at each stop. If any unusual behavior occurs, the driver receives an alert, reducing the administrative burden of manual attendance tracking.
For districts facing a bus driver shortage, these tools make driver training faster and less overwhelming. New hires don’t need to memorize every student’s face and stop assignment immediately—the technology provides a digital safety net while they learn. This lowers the barrier to entry and helps new drivers build confidence more quickly.
3. Show Meaningful Appreciation for Your Drivers
Technology alone won’t solve the bus driver shortage—people want to work where they feel valued. Creating a culture of appreciation makes drivers more likely to stay and makes your district more attractive to potential applicants.
Recognition doesn’t require elaborate programs. Simple gestures like thank-you notes from administrators, spotlighting a “driver of the month” in district communications, or providing a comfortable break room with refreshments demonstrate that you see the vital work drivers do every day. When students, parents, and staff are encouraged to express gratitude directly to drivers, it reinforces that their role is respected and essential.
Consider practical forms of appreciation as well: flexible scheduling options, adequate paid time off, professional development opportunities, and competitive wages. Exit interviews with departing drivers often reveal that feeling undervalued or overworked was a deciding factor in their decision to leave. Addressing these concerns proactively shows existing drivers they matter and signals to potential hires that your district is a supportive place to work.
Moving Forward
While the bus driver shortage won’t disappear overnight, these three strategies—investing in school bus GPS and routing technology, implementing student ridership tools, and fostering a culture of appreciation—can make an immediate difference. By reducing stress, building confidence, and showing respect for the critical role drivers play, districts can retain experienced drivers and attract new talent to this essential profession.
How Pathwise EZRouting Can Help
The Pathwise EZRouting solution makes it easy for school districts of all sizes to implement comprehensive school bus routing software and school bus GPS solutions that address every challenge outlined above. Whether you’re a small rural district or a large urban system, EZRouting provides intuitive route optimization that maximizes your current driver pool, turn-by-turn GPS navigation that empowers drivers with confidence, and integrated student ridership tracking that ensures accountability at every stop.
EZRouting is designed to be implemented quickly without extensive training or technical expertise, so your district can start supporting drivers and improving efficiency right away. When you give your team the right tools to succeed, you’re not just managing the bus driver shortage—you’re creating a transportation program where drivers want to work and stay.