The Moscow School District is cutting two in-town bus routes for the start of the school year because of a shortage of drivers.
The district is asking parents and guardians to make other arrangements to get their students to and from school. The district will reactivate routes 112 and 115 if it hires more drivers. Greg Harris, MSD transportation director, said the district only has enough staff for eight bus routes a day, including routes for special needs students. He said the district decided to prioritize the longer distance bus routes.
The number of Moscow bus routes has dwindled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, six drivers left their jobs and the number of routes was reduced from 15 to 10. Three more drivers left at the end of this past school year, which forced the district to cut two more routes. Those cuts will likely affect approximately 90 students who normally take those routes, Harris said. The driver shortage also affects bus trips to sports games and other extracurricular events. Last year, the district had to cancel some away games because of a lack of drivers.
Moscow School District currently pays its drivers $16.82, which MSD operations director Charlie Gerke feels is not enough to stay competitive with other districts. Pullman School District offers $22.98 per hour after training.
If their students need a bus ride to school, parents and guardians should call the MSD Transportation Office at (208) 882-3933 no later than Aug. 23.
