DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - As students across South Florida head back to school in the coming days, bus drivers across Broward County Public Schools say their routes are ready and that their top priority is keeping children safe.
One of those bus drivers, Elaudys Garcia, has been driving the bus for over two decades. She said it’s not only the children who get first-day butterflies.
“The first day, my concerns are gonna be the traffic and the kids knowing you the first days,” she said.
For the mother of two, these last few days before school begins mean preparing her routes and getting ready for the morning chaos.
“I have a good route, I have good kids, so I can’t complain,” said Garcia. “What I do every year, I try to let them know about the rules of the bus, so they know what is right and what is wrong.”
With 650 routes to cover across Broward County, and a driver shortage of 60 to 100 drivers, including those no longer eligible due to the end of Temporary Protected Status, the start of the school year may be more challenging for students.
“Basically, when you have fewer drivers, you have fewer routes and fewer buses, so that means more stops in the morning or the afternoon, so the kids are on the bus a little longer than last year or the year before,” said Dr. Simone Clowers, BCPS’ executive director for student transportation and fleet services.
Officials had to rework some of the routes after the closure of some schools and the consolidation of others.
“The beauty of it, though, is our drivers are used to it, our staff is used to it. We adapt, we change. If you work for the district, you already know how to pivot on a dime,” said Clowers. “They’re parents, teachers, support aides for the students so that it could make or break a child’s day.”
Another new change is cameras on buses to capture the images of drivers who illegally drive around school buses while they are picking up and dropping off students.
While there will be a 30-day grace period at the start of the school year, the fee after Sept. 9 will be $225.
Garcia said that one of the changes in her 22 years of work is the introduction of mobile phones for students, which she reminds them are allowed to text but not talk on the bus.
“Respect each other, that’s one of the rules we have on the bus,” she said.
Drivers are asking parents to know their child’s bus stop, get there early, and be patient as the school year starts.
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