Love The Bus Month Highlights Driver Challenges
February isn’t just another winter month — it’s Love the Bus Month, a nationwide effort to recognize the importance of school bus transportation and honor the people who make it happen. In North Carolina, the governor’s office has proclaimed School Bus Driver Appreciation Week during mid-February, encouraging communities to “Love the Bus” and recognize the excellence of our state’s school bus drivers and their strong record of safety.” This recognition highlights how drivers navigate varied road conditions and keep students safe every day.
For Davidson County, this appreciation is more than symbolic. According to one report they are responsible for moving 10,184 students daily on 171 buses, with drivers and support staff keeping services running across more than 11,000 miles of routes each day.
As the community celebrates drivers, the underlying challenge of staffing remains real. Across North Carolina, districts are struggling to fill bus driver positions — with many reporting sustained shortages.
State leaders have stepped in with responses as well. Previously, Governor Roy Cooper announced funding to expand bus driver training capacity, boost pay, and offer retention bonuses, noting: “North Carolina desperately needs more school bus drivers and the way to get them is to pay them more and train them faster.” These efforts aim to address training backlogs and make it easier for new drivers to enter the profession.
Nearby districts have reported scenarios that illustrate the depth of the issue. In Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, transportation officials described being many drivers short — a situation that forced shifts in priorities and affected after-school activities because there weren’t enough staff to cover all routes and trips.
Locally, Davidson County Schools currently lists more than 100 bus driver and substitute driver positions on job boards, with starting wages around $15-$18.75 an hour. This reflects both ongoing demand and the competitive nature of recruiting qualified applicants who hold a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).
Winter Roads: Extra Challenges for Drivers
Recognition in February also comes at a time when winter weather often complicates transportation. Snow, ice, sleet and cold road conditions require bus drivers to exercise heightened caution — slowing routes, adjusting schedules and working with transportation officials to decide when buses can safely operate. These decisions matter for families and students, especially when districts face staffing constraints.
Driving school buses in snow and ice isn’t just about steering safely — it involves careful pre-trip checks, planning for shaded or untreated roads, and communicating changes to families when weather forces delays or cancellations. For many drivers, winter conditions add another layer of responsibility on top of already demanding routes.
Bottom Line for Davidson County
In Davidson County, bus drivers do much more than drive — they are often the first and last school employee students see each day, ensuring safe travel rain, shine or winter weather. Love the Bus Month and School Bus Driver Appreciation Week are timely opportunities to thank them for that service.
At the same time, the ongoing shortage of drivers — reflected in job openings, wage pressures and statewide efforts to recruit and train more staff — shows that transportation remains a critical issue for families and schools alike. Without enough drivers, routes can be delayed, schedules adjusted and the consistency families rely on disrupted — all while bus drivers manage the added difficulty that winter roads can bring.
