Amid the ongoing school bus crisis due to a shortage of bus drivers across the United States, school buses in Howard County will operate normally in time for the start of the fall semester.
Michael Matirano County Superintendent of Education said, “All preparations have been completed for the normal operation of school buses to transport students from Monday, the 28th, when the fall semester begins.”
According to authorities, Howard County has contracts with 21 school bus carriers and operates 503 school bus routes. Among the carriers, California-based ‘Zoom Service’ carrier provides the most services, covering 230 routes. ‘Zoom Service’ provides school bus service to school districts such as Washington, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee. Elkridge’s Tip Top Transportation carrier serves 58 routes.19 regional carriers divide the remaining 215 routes to provide services.
The Office of Education signed a three-year contract with ‘Zoom Service’ and ‘Tip Top Transportation’ for a total of $99 million in January. That’s about $117,000 per route.
In response, the Zoom service pays bus drivers $26 to $30 per hour. The Department of Education last year tried to terminate contracts with all school bus companies at the end of the 2022-23 school year to open bids to national and regional contractors to address the bus driver shortage, but in December of last year, some companies argued for unfair contract termination, and they filed a class action lawsuit and withdrew the termination of the contract. The lawsuit was dropped after one month.
Meanwhile, the Howard County Police Department will strengthen patrols and crackdowns for the safety of drivers and pedestrians near schools for three weeks after school starts. The police said, “We will crack down on drivers who are careless, such as speeding or not stopping in front of pedestrians.”
The police warned, “To prevent illegal overtaking of school buses, cameras have been installed on the outside of school buses since last year.” If caught, a fine of $250 will be imposed.