LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A bus driver shortage in Fayette County Schools means families are seeing bus route cancelations left and right.
In fact, the District reports an average of 11 routes are canceled every day.
They try to notify parents the night before, but sometimes, those notifications come as late as an hour before the bus is supposed to come. Those may be instances where drivers call in sick, for example.
This leaves parents scrambling to find another way to get their kids to school, but for one Deep Springs Elementary School mother, it's not that easy.
Amanda Melgar says she doesn't drive and oftentimes has no help getting her fifth-grader, Fabian, to school when the bus route is canceled on short notice.
Their bus route has been canceled 11 times this year, and each time Fabian is staying home.
"They need to do something," she said. "If they have to delay school for an hour or two, they can do that. It's affecting a lot of families on this block."
By the time they were ready to walk to the bus stop Tuesday morning, they hadn't received a text that the route was canceled, so hopes were high.
The bus did come and Fabian was thrilled to hop on and head to school where he will see his friends and learn; his two favorite parts about school.
Melgar was also thankful but worries about the next time the route is canceled. She wants the problem solved.
"Get it together or do something!" she said out of frustration.
FCPS is trying to alleviate the problem by incentivizing people to apply to be substitute drivers. Last month, they increased the hourly wage to $30 an hour. Here is a link to apply.
