Schools in New York tried to recruit drivers by offering cash bonuses, free food and bus rides to parents. Pennsylvania districts gave drivers jobs in cafeterias and as maintenance workers between their morning and afternoon routes. And in Maine, after-school activities were canceled or delayed when bus overcrowding became intolerable. Mississippi's 7,500 buses travel more than 53 million miles a year, taking 408,000 students to school every day, Lay said. But because many drivers work only a few hours each day, often that does not amount to much of a paycheck.
Contractors also say handling poorly behaved students is a big concern.
The debate over whether school buses should be outfitted with seat belts has kept safety concerns in the forefront of people's minds. Most of the people who died in the school bus-related accidents were passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians or bicyclists, not children on buses. Simply teaching children to look both ways before crossing the street also can save lives. Do not let them roughhouse or stand within 10 feet of the road. Bending over to pick up books and backpacks can make it difficult for drivers to see them.