MORGANTOWN, W.Va. Monongalia County Schools will host the second annual Come Drive the Bus Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., according to Transportation Director Tony Harris.
“We’ll actually have a trainer or a staff member on the bus, and we’ll let them take a drive around the campus there at University High School to see what it’s like to drive a school bus,” Harris said.
Harris said the district has a fleet of 111 buses that are currently supported by four full-time substitute drivers and two additional day-to-day substitutes. Through this event, they hope to attract 10 to 15 people who will be ready to begin the training program in June.
Potential drivers must have a CDL Class B license with a school bus or passenger endorsement, or the district can help applicants get. Drivers must also pass a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical and a drug and alcohol test.
“There was a training program that the State of West Virginia Department of Transportation developed that we put them through to learn how to handle a vehicle that size,” Harris said. “And all the things we must do when we’re driving down the road picking up our students and dropping them off.”
All full-time drivers qualify for medical, dental, and vision benefits, along with a retirement plan. But Harris said salaries are determined at the individual level.
“It depends on each applicant,” Harris said. “If they have a high school diploma or if they have any kind of post-secondary education, that will play into what their salary will be.”