BRUNSWICK, Ohio — For years, News 5 has been diving deep into the crippling school bus driver shortage.
Between an aging workforce and lifestyle changes—virtually every district across the country is struggling to find drivers.
Back in March, News 5 followed Brunswick City Schools as they worked to hire more bus drivers.
They took a hands on approach.
They allowed candidates to test drive a bus in a job fair setting, to see if they would be the right fit for the job.
As the school year is in full force, they're bringing the event back and looking for the next class of drivers once again.
Their second annual Test Drive a Bus event is set for this Saturday.
They say the job is perfect for parents, grandparents or retirees.
You don't need to have children in the district or be a Brunswick resident.
The hours are flexible.
While district officials say there was great interest last time—only one driver signed on and completed the process.
Parma Heights native Mike Blum learned it's never too late to find your passion or make a career change.
"Never a bus driver. I was driving semis," Blum said.
Blum jumped at the opportunity to attend the first event.
"How hard was the transition? Not at all. Cake. These are easier to drive than a semi," Blum said.
Blum took News 5 on board and took Bus 74 for a spin on one of his morning routes.
"It's no different than a box truck. You just got a little bit more precious cargo," Blum said.
He made the switch and says he found true fulfillment working with kids.
"Better opportunity for me. Better benefits. I'm happy," Blum said.
"Unfortunately, we're in a similar position today like we were in the last time you were here," Jason Niedermeyer, Brunswick City Schools Superintendent, said.
They're gearing up for their now second annual Test Drive a Bus event this weekend and hoping to find job seekers similar to Blum.
Unfortunately, he was the ONLY new hire who committed to a job from the first annual event.
"We had 27 drivers that came out and toured our high school parking lot on our buses. Got an opportunity to understand how the buses work," Niedermeyer said.
While there was some follow-up interest, Niedermeyer says it wasn't enough.
"There was some people that came, it was just a bucket list item for them-," Niedermeyer said.
Niedermeyer says the district staffs for approximately 40 routes.
Right now, they only have 34 drivers.
He says they're getting creative with double backing locations and utilizing new routing software to become further efficient in the pick-up and drop-off process.
"If we had 10, 12 more drivers, we'd be in really good shape. Unfortunately, we're just a little short of that," Niedermeyer said.
The district is offering a $1,500 sign on bonuses, paying new drivers for their training and covering the cost of their CDL to further entice potential candidates.
Neidermeyer says they're expanding employment opportunities by targeting seasonal workers.
In addition, they're letting folks looking for both part time AND full time work sign on.
"If you wanna work more than that, we'll put you on a bus in the morning and then we'll have you work in our schools, whether it be custodial services or nutritional services. We'll fill the middle of your day and we'll get you back on a bus in the afternoon," Niedermeyer said.
Blum works in the middle school during the day and then returns to his route later on.
He says he's thrilled to have a job he can retire from and he's eager to help train future drivers.
"It's a great career, it's a rewarding career, flexible schedule," Blum said.
The Brunswick Test Drive a bus event is Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Football Stadium parking lot behind the high school.
You must be 21 and older, have a valid driver's license and a clean driving record.
You can fill out the form here.
For more details, contact Heidi Armentrout at harmentrout@bcsoh.org or by phone at (330) 273-0206.
The district hopes to hire at least five drivers from this event.
