Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) could potentially restore transportation service to some magnet and traditional schools now that 68 drivers from the Transit Authority of the River City (TARC) have passed the state requirements to drive a school bus. TARC and JCPS reached an agreement in June for TARC to provide drivers who were in jeopardy of being laid off to the school district to help alleviate a severe shortage of school bus drivers.
Driving a school bus requires a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) as well as a special “S” certification from the state of Kentucky. All TARC drivers have their CDLs and now, 68 have passed the testing to obtain the “S” certification.
JCPS leaders have said that once 68 new drivers were licensed to drive school buses, it could be enough to safely restore transportation to some magnet and traditional schools whose service was eliminated earlier this year. The reduced number of routes has allowed JCPS to ensure that more than 45,000 bus riding students are getting to school on-time and home at a reasonable hour, a feat that was not happening last school year.
Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio has cautioned that he would not recommend restoring bus routes until a sufficient number of drivers were available to continue delivering current bus riders to school on time.
The Jefferson County Board of Education would have to approve any restoration of bus routes. If some service restoration is approved by the board, JCPS transportation officials estimate it could take at least six weeks to:
Survey magnet and traditional school families on whether they want bus service.
Allow “rebidding” and potential reassigning of routes for bus drivers.
Give TARC drivers (and potentially others) a chance to practice their routes.
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for January 28.