Montgomery County Public School bus drivers once again will receive a $25 bonus whenever they drive an extra route when there aren’t enough bus drivers available.
Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight issued a community message about what she called “an urgent and ongoing issue concerning delayed and canceled bus routes.” She called the lack of enough bus operators a national problem.
The $25 bonus will be paid for both morning and afternoon extra routes, something that occurred during the previous school year.
MCPS also is starting a Sweeper Bus program, in which a bus driver will sweep the areas of routes that weren’t run to ensure that families who did not receive an alert still will have their children picked up.
District staff is working on a Walking School Bus program, in which parents and community partners will pilot a bus app on 150 routes to allow families to see their bus in real time on a smartphone. This is expected to launch next month.
Meanwhile, MCPS continues to try and recruit more drivers. It currently has 37 drivers in its training program.
McKnight said the new plans were worked out along with Pia Morrison, president of the Service Employees International Union Local 500.
So far this school year, the drivers have driven 59,040 routes of which 114 were not able to be covered at all. MCPS employs 1,195 bus operators and 580 bus attendants who serve the district’s 210 school and 20 nonpublic and private schools. They also drive students on field trips and extracurricular activities.
Recent Post
MCPS Bus Drivers, Teachers Complain of Working Conditions, Pay
