BUFFALO (WBEN) - Could Buffalo Public Schools request the state to send National Guard to help alleviate the busing woes for the district? It appears to be at least an avenue the Buffalo School Board would like to explore.
"A lot of the National Guard, because of the vehicles training, army training, or the armed forces training, they can drive buses," said Superintendent Dr. Kriner Cash at Wednesday night's Board meeting. "They have 7b licenses."
The board members that spoke up on the issue, including Larry Scott, seemed eager to learn more about the process and taking the next step.
"I know there are some downstate elected officials that have actually asked Governor Hochul to consider that," said Scott. "If this continues, I think something of that sort, if that's something that's feasible, we need to consider that for New York State."
School officials predicted there'd be transportation issues to begin the school year, as there's been a well-documented national shortage of drivers, but this problem appears to be hitting city schools the hardest.
"Most of our kids are transported by bus - their families don't have their own transportation to get their kids to and from school, so it's an equity issue with us compared to suburban districts," Scott continued. "When there is a shortage, it hits us harder than it does in the suburbs."
Scott said he's heard complaints from parents of late pickups, and in some cases, kids aren't getting picked up at all. He added he's aware of late drop-offs in the evening.
Cash called the bus driver shortage a 'crisis.'
"Twenty-seven thousand students are on a bus every morning," he said. "In a normal year, we would have 667 routes and we would have 667 drivers."
Due to staffing, the district had to consolidate many routes, so there are now about 515 routes, which of course, means more time on buses for kids.
