School bus companies, tired of taking the rap for shoddy service, have a solution: more money for drivers.
Some private firms are telling school districts it is time to ante up, demanding sharp fee increases for the 1998-99 school year so they can pay drivers enough to keep them on board.
In turn, some districts are passing on higher fees to parents whose children live too close to school to receive free busing.
“What can you do?” said Walter Korpan, business manager for East Maine District 63. In that district, parents will pay about 10 percent more to match a similar increase in the district’s $660,000 contract with Wheeling-based Septran. “That’s just the way it is. We have to pass it along.”
In Elk Grove Township District 59, officials are expecting to consider a proposal Monday from Elk Grove Village-based Davidsmeyer Bus Service to increase its busing contract by at least 5 percent. Usually the increase sought is 2 percent to 3 percent.
“There probably isn’t a bus company in the area that’s not having some problems,” said Joyce Graetz, transportation coordinator for District 59.
“You always have a shortage of drivers but nothing as pronounced as we’ve seen over the last couple of years,” said Bob McElligott, manager of safety and training for Davidsmeyer.
The company is in negotiations for new contracts with several suburban districts, including District 59. And though McElligott declined to disclose what sort of increases the company is seeking, he did acknowledge it would be “well beyond” the 2 percent to 3 percent increases that have been common the past 10 years.
“Driving a school bus is a pretty well-paid position,” he said, noting that some firms offer as much as $13 an hour. Then again, the positions are very often part-time, and, “The economy is good out there, with a lot of full-time jobs and benefits.”
Not all districts are swallowing the hefty increases. Neighboring Glenview District 34 recently dumped its longtime contractor, Skokie-based Maierhofer, after Maierhofer placed a bid that would have raised costs nearly 10 percent.
But the school districts and bus companies are forced to work together in an economy that boasts some of the lowest unemployment rates in decades. Such good news can spell trouble for busing firms, which frequently offer free training and certification to new drivers only to see them jump ship for more lucrative jobs, such as commercial truck driving.
At the same time, bus firms are warring with one another to lure veteran drivers with hefty incentive packages. For example, at Laidlaw-National, which serves a long list of districts throughout northwest Cook and Lake Counties, drivers who are already licensed are awarded $1,000 signing bonuses.
“We use every tactic,” said Linda Hale, director of driver development and support at a Laidlaw affiliate, Laidlaw-Schaumburg.
Private operations are not the only ones getting hit. School districts that run their own fleets, such as River Trails District 26 in Mt. Prospect and Palatine District 15, are also feeling the crunch despite offering more generous pay and benefits packages.
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“We’ll try to keep salaries in check (for next year), but I don’t know if we can do that,” said George Lingel, assistant superintendent for business in District 15, which raised starting hourly pay this year to $11 from $9.80.