Driver shortage has Houston schools chartering luxury buses

HOUSTON – The Houston school district is chartering plush, television-equipped motor coaches because it doesn’t have enough drivers to keep its fleet of yellow school buses on the road.

District chief operating officer Brian Busby tells KHOU-TV in Houston that a combination of budget cuts and dislocations caused by Hurricane Harvey has left the district 300 drivers short.

The charter buses come complete with drivers, and the biggest school district in Texas is on pace to spend $8 million on the charter buses this year.

Busby said he hopes the district can recoup at least some of the cost through storm-related insurance payments and FEMA grants. But despite scheduling several job fairs for the coming summer, Busby says that may not resolve the problem by next school year.

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Information from: KHOU-TV, http://www.khou.com