SPOKANE, Wash. — Growth in Spokane's economy has caused a severe shortage in bus drivers.
Development in the West Plains area, specifically with the Amazon fulfillment center, is pulling drivers into other fields of work with higher pay.
"People just have more things that they want to do besides driving a school bus," said Sammy Obeso, a bus driver for 14 years.
This year's shortage isn't the first time he's watched many of his coworkers leave for full-time jobs.
The last major shortage was in 2017, according to Rhonda McLellan, general manager of Durham Bus Services. But this year has been worse than previous ones.
"When the economy gets better, it's a dilemma for school bus drivers," she said. "There are other entities that have come into the city that people are leaving these bus driving jobs for, so we need some help."
Drivers like Obaso said the shortage is putting a strain on daily operations.
"We have to be able to pick on the last minute calls and changes real quick, having to help out other routes and puck up those kids and get them to school," Obaso said.
These extra routes are slowing drivers down, he said, making it harder for them to get to children on time.
"The shortage is mostly with the kids having to stay outside in the cold right now and not getting to school. I just don't fee like it'll be coming to an end real soon," he said.
McLellan said the company has hired more recruiters than previous yerars to try and attract more people to the business. She said driver wages will also increase from the current $17 an hour to $18.50 in January.
"Get those applications in, people. We need some bus drivers," she said.
The following video is a report in which parents say Spokane Public Schools bus lost track of their son twice.