SAN ANTONIO – The school year begins next week for North East ISD and they are looking for more bus drivers to help get kids to and from school.
“We’ve got a big push going on to try to make sure that we can hire some more drivers,” said Bill Harrison, Executive Director of Transportation for NEISD.
NEISD has 230 bus routes that need to be driven and right now, they are 45 drivers short of filling up the routes.
To help get more drivers on their team, NEISD is offering new bus drivers a signing bonus of up to $2,000 if they already have a Commercial Driver’s License. IF you don’t have a CDL, you can still apply and get a $1,000 signing bonus.
NEISD will pay for the training for those who need to get a CDL.
On top of needing a CDL, you also need to pass a Department of Transportation physical and a safety test.
Bus drivers will work about six hours a day if they are part-time. They begin in the morning, picking kids up and dropping them off at school between 7:00 a.m.-8:30 a.m. After that, they get a break. Their second drive is from 2:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m.
“After a couple of weeks, they know all the kids names, it’s the same kids. They know the route by heart,” Harrison said.
NEISD does offer 40-hour work weeks for those who are interested. While the kids are in school, drivers can get to their 8-hour days by helping in the offices.
Whether you work part-time or full-time, every bus driver gets benefits.
NEISD makes sure every kid is safe while kids are on the bus. They retrain drivers every year and do quarterly safety reminders.
“It’s a lot of responsibility. It’s a big 38.5 foot bus, it weighs a lot, we’re carrying a lot of precious cargo,” Harrison said.
If an incident happens, bus drivers know to stop, pull off the side of the road and to radio their dispatch team. Dispatch will call police or fire officials for whatever help is needed. Bus drivers will take care of the kids while they wait.
“We have a motto, drive safe, drive friendly,” said Harrison.
Bus drivers also know how to use an epi-pen when needed and some are CPR certified.
If you are interested in applying for a bus driving job with NEISD, click here. You must apply online before October 31 to receive the sign-on bonus.
Current NEISD Transportation Employees can also earn a $2,000 referral bonus for referring a friend.
NEISD begins school on Aug. 14.