ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools is doing just about anything it can to get more bus drivers on the roads.
The district is offering a $2,000 sign-on bonus for new hires.
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Right now, bonuses are up for grabs for new and current employees, too.
The district recently renewed its Transportation Perfect Attendance bonus of up to $1,500 for drivers, the Transportation Safe Driver bonus of up to $300, and the Transportation Combo Pay for bus operators of up to $9,000.
Read: Orange County Public Schools starts school year with shortage of teachers, bus drivers
New hires can earn up to $12,800 in incentives and current drivers can earn up to $10,800 in incentives.
Current employees can also receive bonuses for referrals.
OCPS said the district is still looking to hire about 100 school bus drivers.
“We are still in need of bus drivers as well,” Maria Vasquez, the district’s Superintendent, said. “We’ve adjusted bus routes for efficiency to manage the bus driver shortages. School districts nationally are dealing with shortages. This is not unique to Orange County.”
Because of the shortage, some bus drivers are having to do doublebacks to make sure all routes are covered. This means a driver makes two trips to the same school to get all the students transported.
If you don’t have a CDL license, the district will pay for your time to get the training to receive the license.
Read: Brevard County leaders look to increase school bus driver pay by $5
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