WAYNE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A school bus driver shortage that's led to bus route cancellations in districts statewide is causing frustration in the Wayne-Westland School District. Just last week, 7 News Detroit raised the voices of concerned parents in Livonia Public Schools on the same exact issue.
Carrie Brincat, whose son attends Steven Middle School in Wayne, said it happened again today.
“I don’t understand how we’re still dealing with this all the time. It’s a weekly basis. There has not been a single week this year that my son has not had at least one day canceled," she explained.
Brincat said she often learns of the cancellation on short notice.
"An hour and a half. My son generally gets on the bus at 7:20 in the morning, and we’re usually getting a phone call or text message at 5:45 in the morning when the bus is canceled," she said.
"I think there’s been one day when they let us know the day before but other than that, it’s literally the morning of," Brincat added.
“We have had instances where we’ve kept our kid home when the buses canceled because it just doesn’t work with our schedules," she said.
Cherie Neal, who now has to pick up her son, said she can empathize after her experience last year.
“You gotta go get your kids. You gotta do what you gotta do. Kids come first. So, it's like an inconvenience for parents who have to go to work and stuff like that, make other arrangements," she said.
For Shayna Benjamin and her family, she said the cancellations defeat the purpose of why she enrolled her kids in Wayne-Westland.
"Right now, I am not working. So thankfully, right now I am able to get my kids to and from school. But the whole point was we moved to Westland School District so they could ride the buses. So that it wasn’t a hassle for parents, for us to get them to and from school. So, it’s frustrating," Benjamin explained.
Brincat said, “I think at this point there should be better recruiting or something.”
The district transportation director sent a letter to parents explaining there’s a bus driver shortage and that recruitment efforts are ongoing.
7 News Detroit reached out to the district which declined an on camera interview but sent the following statement:
We understand that the recent cancellations of some bus routes have been challenging for many families, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. While we are committed to providing reliable transportation for our students, ongoing staffing shortages have made it necessary to cancel some routes.
This issue is not unique to our district, as many other districts around us are also facing similar staffing shortages. Currently, we operate approximately 50 routes daily, and while we continue to serve the majority of our students, there are days when a few routes need to be canceled.
We are currently accepting applications for bus drivers. If interested, please visit our website, https://www.wwcsd.net/departments/human-resources/employment/ [wwcsd.net] for more information.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we work through these challenges.
The district said the transportation director makes the decision that will have the least impact, and they've also started a bus route contingency plan that allows an alternate bus to pick up a student whenever possible.
