NAMPA, Idaho — As students get ready to head back to school next month, so are the bus companies. Right now, like many businesses, the Brown Bus Company is seeing a staffing shortage and they're in need of bus drivers. The Nampa-based bus company is offering an extra incentive in hopes of luring in more drivers.
Back in September, KTVB spoke with the Brown Bus Company when they announced they were offering a $1,500 sign-on bonus. Now, they're doing it again.
Brent Carpenter is the operations manager for the Brown Bus Company. He told KTVB they see a shortage in drivers every year, but then a month or two before the school year starts, they see those drivers come in. Last year, they never really hit their stride.
Now, they're seeing that shortage again, which is why they decided to offer that $1,500 hiring bonus again.
In total they're looking for 30 to 40 bus drivers.
“Some of it is in effect of the pandemic, some of it is in effect of the economy, so we just have a lot of variables that makes it a challenge to bring people in,” Carpenter said. “It's critically important, we run the risk of having routes that won’t run or have to combine routes within and at that point they end up having some inconvenience for the students and schools, and we want to try, and it's critical to have enough drivers, and we want to have the year start off as smoothly as possible.”
Here's how it would work -- the $1,500 bonus would be paid out in two to three installments, and that would be in addition to paid driver training. Drivers will also need to get their CDL license, if they don't have one. Carpenter says this is a problem across the country.
He encourages anyone who is looking for a part-time job or some extra income to give them a call. He adds, it's also good for anyone retired because you're not only making extra income, but you're serving your community.
Last year they brought on approximately 50 to 60 drivers and all of them received all or part of that bonus.
The Brown Bus Company serves the Nampa, Vallivue and Wilder school districts, as well as more than a dozen charter schools in Ada and Canyon counties.
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