Bus driver shortage impacting Greenville's morning Questar students

GREENVILLE―The shortage of school bus drivers is nothing new and certainly not a localized problem. Districts are actively recruiting but filling empty positions has proven challenging.

Recently, the Greenville Central School District told parents of Hudson-bound Questar III morning students that they would need to find their own way of getting their kids to the Greenville campus.

“In previous years, Greenville has provided transportation from students' homes to the high school for this program. However, due to a driver shortage, we are unable to offer this service this year,” explained Superintendent of Schools Rachel S. Anderson in a letter to impacted families.

Questar III’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the Hudson campus range from automotive technology to welding and culinary arts for juniors and seniors. Students attend either a morning or afternoon session with the other half of their day spent at their high school.

Starting this fall, Greenville will continue to provide transportation to and from the high school and the Donald R. Kline Technical School in Hudson, but early morning pick-up at a student’s home will not be offered.

“Families of students who are enrolled in the morning Questar program at Hudson will be responsible for providing transportation to Greenville High School by 7:15 a.m.,” Anderson explained.

The bus driver shortage is something she says the district has faced for several years.

“Our Transportation Department has worked to reduce routes and maintain services with fewer drivers. Providing a morning bus to campus would require additional drivers, which we do not have at this time” noted Anderson.

The district, like many others, is continuing to actively hire drivers and will cover the cost of CDL training as well as provide paid training.

The Economic Policy Institute reported that as of August of 2025, there were 21,200 fewer school bus drivers employed nationwide than there were six years earlier, representing a decrease of about 9.5 percent.

According to the hiring support company Radar that works with school districts and youth-serving organizations, there are two main reasons: split shifts being less desirable for workers and other options for CDL holders.

“Most of those options pay better than a school district and do not involve managing the behavior of forty students in a moving vehicle. Delivery, freight, and logistics work draws from the same licensed pool, offers continuous shifts, and does not ask the driver to also be a supervisor,” noted Radar.

Anderson said the district understands that the change for morning Questar III students may create challenges for families.

“Please know we are working diligently to ensure reliable transportation for all of our students,” she said.