It was crunch time at Monarch Bus Service in Minneapolis as bus drivers on Wednesday picked up route assignments. Others were going through training in time to pick up kids for school in a little more than a week.

Tom Severson is the chief operating officer of Minnesota Coaches, which runs Monarch Bus Service, among others, and employs about 1,200 bus drivers. Altogether, the company contracts with about 10 school districts to provide school bus services, Severson said.

The industry has been plagued by driver shortages, causing interruptions and delays for students trying to get to school.

“You know, it’s changed tremendously over the course of the last 10 years. Even prior to COVID, shortages were prevalent in the school bus industry,” Severson said, adding that it’s hit urban school districts harder than rural ones.

“I think it has to do a lot with availability and the competition,” he explained.

But heading into this school year, Severson said the shortage is more manageable than it has been in years.

“The pipeline is better again this year, a lot of application flow, a lot of interviews going on, and a lot of training going on,” he said.

“We probably still are looking for, you know, 12 to 18 drivers throughout our metro areas, and the out-of-state areas, you know, fewer than that.”

While the hiring signs scattered around Monarch Bus Service made the need for more drivers still evident, Severson said he does not expect the openings to cause major route interruptions this year.

“We definitely hire these days beyond what our needs are,” he added. “We’re well equipped on any of those mornings or afternoons that somebody’s not able to come in, we’ve got somebody at the ready that can jump in the driver’s seat.”

Although, the first week of school is always an exception, he added, asking parents to get their kids to the bus stop a little early and be prepared to wait a little longer.

“All parents should always expect that the first couple days of school going into a new school year, you know, delays. There’s, you know, drivers learning areas with road construction, things of that nature that are going on,” he explained. “There’s always those delays.”

For those interested in becoming a school bus driver, there is a training and licensing process that usually takes about 14 days, Severson said.

Minnesota Coaches handle the training themselves and cover the cost of that and obtaining a Commercial Driver’s License, he added.