Buffalo Public Schools may pay parents to transport their own children to school for the 2022-2023 school year. A national bus driver shortage is affecting schools again. Buffalo Public Schools is asking parents and guardians to take a survey to gauge their interest in taking their own kids to school in exchange for reimbursement.

The Buffalo Public School District ("District") anticipates that the national bus driver shortage that impacted our District during the 2021-2022 school year will continue to impact our yellow bus transportation system during the 2022-2023 school year. The District is exploring all options to address this concern. One consideration is to provide the opportunity for families to self-transport their children that are eligible for yellow bus transportation in order to enable those most-in-need to receive transportation services.

In 2021 there was also a bus driver shortage across the country and in New York. Governor Hochul used a short-term multi-agency plan to help ease the pain. The state removed barriers to make it easier for people to get their Commercial Driver's License holders, it expanded CDL testing opportunities and reached out to CDL license holders around the state to recruit.

Buffalo Public Schools May Pay Parents To Drive

As the district prepares for students to return on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, it is asking parents and guardians if they would be willing to drive and is offering mileage to do so,

In order to support this effort, the District is considering providing eligible families who opt-out of transportation services and choose to self-transport their children, transportation reimbursements equivalent to 58.5 cents/mile.

 

 

You can take the Buffalo Public Schools transportation survey here.

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