As schools open for the 2022-23 school year, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Acting Secretary Eric Hagarty and the Pennsylvania School Bus Association (PSBA) are highlighting the critical role that school bus drivers play across the commonwealth.

“As we work to ensure that students in all areas—rural, urban, and suburban alike—have access to a high-quality education, we must also provide access to safe, reliable transportation to and from school,” said Acting Secretary Hagarty. “School bus drivers are critical in that mission, and PDE is committed to supporting this industry as it works to recruit individuals to the workforce.”

Currently, there is a need for between 2,000 and 3,000 drivers in Pennsylvania and  PSBA has been working to address the driver shortage by launching a multi-faceted recruitment campaign. PSBA developed YouBehindTheWheel.com, a microsite designed to educate people about the school bus industry and get them interested in becoming a driver, and SchoolBusHero.com, a free job portal that PSBA members can use to advertise open positions in their company. The organization also created a digital ad campaign, a Facebook ad campaign, and a YouTube ad campaign, which have been viewed collectively millions of times across the commonwealth.

Individuals interested in becoming bus drivers can fill out the PA School Bus Driver Interest Form online.

The Pennsylvania School Bus Association consists of over 300 school transportation contractors and industry partners who have come together to be a strong voice for school transportation safety and the school transportation contracting industry. Its mission is to provide programs, education, and services to promote and foster the highest degree of safety in the transportation of school children and strengthen the quality of student transportation through professional management.

For more information about Pennsylvania’s education policies and programs, please visit the PDE website.

To view the press release, click here.