Youngstown schools bus driver shortage getting students home late

YOUNGSTOWN

A shortage of city school bus drivers is contributing to students not being delivered home on time.

“It’s unacceptable,” said Krish Mohip, district chief executive officer.

But it’s a reality.

The shortage causes problems particularly in the afternoon. Some students have had to wait for buses to transport them home from school.

“We’ll get the students home; we’re just running behind,” Mohip said.

“We’re aggressively looking,” the CEO said.

He asked Mayor John A. McNally about the possibility of using Western Reserve Transit Authority bus drivers to fill in the gaps. McNally said he planned to contact the agency today.

But James Ferraro, WRTA executive director, said his organization doesn’t have drivers to spare.

“We have three that are in training now,” he said. “We just hired three more.”

An Ohio Department of Education review of the city schools transportation department found incomplete driver and vehicle-maintenance records, nonexistent vehicle-repair records and no documentation of required bus-driver training.

All of the city’s drivers were decertified, requiring them to seek recertification, including background checks.

Some opted not to seek recertification, causing the shortage, the CEO said.

Read more about the situation in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.