In the morning, Toby Cribbs runs the day-to-day operations of the Highlands County School District’s transportation department.

But later in the day, he’s behind the wheel of the familiar big yellow bus.

“I’ll be driving the bus this afternoon because of the shortage. I’m short-handed and I have no extra subs. It’s all hands-on deck,” he said.

That means Cribbs’s supervisors are also behind the wheel as are route dispatchers. Soon a garage clerk will be added to the crew until the district can hire the 25 or so more bus drivers that it needs to cart kids back and forth.

Before Covid, Cribbs had about 105 drivers. But the number has been shrinking ever since. He’s currently got 68 buses in service. He’d like the number to be 95.

It takes about two to three weeks to get certified and licensed to be a school bus driver. Cribbs said the district offers a stipend to future drivers during the training period, which is all done in-house.

Drivers are paid $18.52 an hour. Hours vary, depending on the route, but are at a minimum 5 ½ hours a day. Benefits are included.

"It is a great feeling when those those little kids and put a smile on their face, knowing that their bus driver is going to get them to and from school and home safely," he says.

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