Some students in Anne Arundel County who rely on buses to get to and from school are scrambling for rides for the second day.
Dozens of school bus routes in Anne Arundel County are canceled or delayed as drivers employed by one transportation contractor take job action, Anne Arundel County Public Schools said.
Drivers who work for Annapolis Bus Co., one of several contractors for the school system, are on strike to demand better pay and benefits, News4 partner WTOP reported.
Eighty morning and afternoon routes at 34 schools are impacted, officials said. Here’s the full list.
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Bob Mosier, Anne Arundel County Public Schools spokesperson, urged Annapolis Bus Co. to come to a resolution with drivers.
"We have been in conversations with company officials to urge them to talk with drivers and get buses running again as quickly as possible and so that our students can be where they belong: in classrooms," Mosier continued.
The school also said it's facing a bus driver shortage — a problem impacting school districts throughout the D.C. area and nationwide.
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“An agonizing year in terms of transportation due to the ongoing regional and national bus driver shortage has become even more so over the last two days, with our students and families bearing the brunt of a labor dispute between Annapolis Bus Co. and its drivers," Mosier said.
He said the transportation problems started Monday morning. By Tuesday, 29 buses were out of commission, Mosier said.
According to a report on school transportation commissioned in 2019, Annapolis Bus Co. paid drivers $20.53 hourly, which was below average. Overall, bus drivers contracted by Anne Arundel County Public Schools were paid an average of $24.32 per hour in 2019, the report said.
The school says it will notify parents of changes to bus schedules and asked families to make sure up-to-date contact information is on file with their child’s school.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.
