JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — School districts nationwide are still facing a shortage of bus drivers.
In Duval County, about 800 school bus drivers are needed to take kids to and from schools effectively. However, the district currently has 150 open positions.
In an effort to help ease this problem, Student Transportation of America is offering local non-profits donations if they help refer drivers.
"Right now, this industry, along with most industries, we're seeing a shortage of eligible employees and candidates at this time," Student Transportation of America General Manager Pete Conway said.
The program is already in place, but STA is extending it by six months. For each driver a non-profit refers, STA will donate $1,000.
"As we expand our programs and our reach to more people, it's more important to reach out to the community," Conway said. "We know our charitable organizations generally play a very important and impactful role in affecting lives here in Northeast Florida.
There are also incentives for people who apply to be bus drivers including a sign-on bonus and on-the-job training.
"We like to say that driving and operating school buses is a local community issue," Conway said. "So as opposed to reaching out for folks who could be part of the solution, we're looking here locally for communities to be part of the solution."