NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One Tennessee lawmaker has proposed lowering the minimum age to become a school bus driver to help address shortages felt by districts across the state.
In 2018, Tennessee raised the minimum age to be a bus driver from 21 to 25 following a deadly 2016 school bus crash in Chattanooga that killed six students and injured dozens more.
However, due to a recent bus driver shortage, Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) would like to see the minimum age requirement dropped back down to 21.
“If I’m not mistaken, we are the most restrictive state in the nation,” Sparks said. “We talk about less bureaucracy, we talk about freeing up some of the burdens and deregulations sometimes.”
Although the issue is improving, Wilson County Schools has been roughly a dozen bus drivers short for the past two years. The district has adjusted routes to accommodate students getting to and from school.
“There is a stigma about being a bus driver. It’s a large piece of equipment to drive, [and there are] a lot of students on there,” Bart Barker, public information officer for Wilson County Schools, said. “[There is a] tremendous amount of responsibility that goes with that.”
Barker said he sees both sides of the issue, with some preferring more experienced drivers while weighing the extensive training candidates must undergo to become a school bus driver.
“I asked [our transportation director] when did you get your CDL? He told me he got it at 21,” Barker said. “If they go through a training process that is very thorough with districts and they do it at a high level and get high grades throughout their testing, throughout their training…then some would say why not let them drive a bus at 21 years old?”
Sparks shared his proposal with Rutherford County Schools at Tuesday’s School Board meeting. News 2 reached out to Rutherford County Schools and Murfreesboro City Schools for their thoughts on the proposal to lower the minimum bus driver age requirement.
Neither wished to comment, with spokespeople from both districts saying they were not familiar with the proposal. James Evans with Rutherford County Schools sent an email saying that as of publication, Rutherford County Schools is “in great shape”:
“It fluctuates throughout the year, but we have all but one of our routes covered currently and expect to have that one filled in the next few days,” Evans said in the email. “So we’re in great shape currently. We contract with multiple bus owners / contractors to provide our service.”
In addition to lowering the minimum driving age, Sparks would also like to see a mentorship program started for new drivers to help them navigate various stressors of the job and hopefully retain more drivers.
“School bus drivers have a great responsibility. [It’s] one of the most important jobs, if you will, that’s out there,” Sparks said.
Sparks said lowering the minimum age to 21 would align with Kentucky’s school bus driver requirements. Additionally, he noted states including California, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Mississippi only require school bus drivers to be 18 years old.
