AUSTIN, Texas — Ray Perea has been a bus driver for three years at Lake Travis Independent School District (ISD). It's a job he didn't originally think would be a good fit, but he quickly fell in love with it.
On Tuesday, he and fellow district bus drivers picked up their keys and made sure their buses were up to par for when classes started on Wednesday.
Each bus is equipped with cameras, seatbelts and air conditioning. And this year, district officials said that while drivers are scarce, there are just enough to cover every route.
"We've just been able to put some more students on the bus and get more students to and from school this year than we were able to last year," Lake Travis ISD Director of Transportation Paula Miller said.
The district has 46 routes and 17 special needs routes, according to Miller.
"We have six sub drivers and seven office staff members that would all be helping with subbing as well," Miller said.
Perea echoed Miller's statement, highlighting the need for more drivers.
"It is hard because we want more drivers out there to pick up the kids and get them to where they need to be safely," Perea said. "But also, we work well together with the staff that we have."
The major factors contributing to the shortage are pay and figuring out how to attract more drivers to the district.
The starting pay for Lake Travis ISD bus drivers is $25.51, which is a bump from the $20.40 from the 2020-2021 school year, according to the district.
Perea said the most effective method so far has been word of mouth.
"I would say come out and ride a bus, ride shotgun. Monitor, see what we go through daily, see how hard we work and just everything that it takes to be a bus driver," Perea said. "I feel like it'll push them more to get what's needed for these families and for these kids and for the community and the state. And we need more bus drivers, obviously."
But most importantly for Perea, it's about building that connection and providing safety for the students who hop on the bus.
"You actually get to know the kids and, sometimes, they share a little too much, which is kind of funny," Perea said. "But not only the kids, but you get to really get to know the parents and just how well they connect with their kids."
Miller, who has been with the district since 2009 and is going on her second year in the position as director of Transportation, said she is also a bus driver and steps into the role when needed.
Although Miller didn't comment on how the district could get more funding from the state, she agreed that bus drivers could always be paid more.
And as the Transportation Department settles into the new year, Miller hopes drivers are cautious on the road when a yellow bus strolls by.
"If I could encourage the parents of one thing, it's just to please have patience with us because there's only so many of us and we're answering every call as it comes in," Miller said.