Knoxville, August 10, 2025

News Summary

Knox County Schools is facing a significant shortage of bus drivers, currently needing 15 more for dependable transportation services. With ongoing retention challenges rather than recruitment issues, the district has implemented a no-cost training program for new drivers and launched a tracking app for real-time updates. Delays on routes have reached up to an hour as they attempt to manage the shortfall with around 460 employed drivers.

Knoxville

Knox County Schools (KCS) is currently facing a shortage of 15 bus drivers for the upcoming 2025 school year, impacting the reliability of student transportation services across the district.

For the 2024 school year, KCS had aimed to fill a definite shortage of 20 drivers, a decrease from 31 drivers needed in 2023 and 50 drivers in 2022. Currently, only approximately 460 bus drivers are employed, responsible for transporting about one-third of KCS students. However, due to this ongoing shortage, the district has been forced to utilize smaller buses for routes that traditionally require larger ones.

Ryan Dillingham, the director of transportation at KCS, mentioned that the core challenge lies in retaining bus drivers, rather than finding new hires. Although KCS brought in 64 new drivers last year, the school district lost 48 drivers during the same period. This year, as KCS enters its third week of classes, the district finds itself short by about 30 drivers, resulting in delays of up to one hour on certain routes.

Currently, there are eight new drivers in training expected to begin working in just two weeks, but even this will not cover the entire shortfall. The situation reflects a complex and national labor market challenge that has been exacerbated by the evolving workforce dynamics since the pandemic.

Experts have noted that there remains a systemic difficulty in filling job openings that do not demand a college degree, such as bus drivers, throughout the country. Despite the growing population in Knoxville, the workforce shortage persists, as many newcomers are retired or engaged in remote work opportunities.

Notably, the current labor market conditions indicate there are three job openings for every two job seekers in Knoxville, which complicates matters for KCS. Typically, schools have less flexibility than private businesses to adjust pay or lower hiring barriers due to fixed budgets primarily sourced from taxpayer funding. KCS contracts with 57 independent providers for a total of 355 buses, limiting its direct influence over hiring practices.

Contractor pay ranges from $46,905 to $54,870 annually depending on the size of the buses, but KCS has no control over what these contractors choose to offer their drivers. As a result, some school routes are currently experiencing early pick-ups or extended wait times for drop-offs, leading to inconsistency in service throughout the district.

In response to these challenges, KCS has rolled out a new bus tracking application, Edulog Parent Portal, providing parents with real-time updates regarding bus locations and delays. Further measures include offering a training program for individuals with standard driving licenses to become school bus drivers at no cost to them, aimed at lowering the entry barriers into the profession.

To address transportation issues more effectively, KCS has also increased the overall number of buses and contractors since last year. The new driver compensation structure now ranges between $47,967 and $56,109 per year, representing an increase of approximately $2,000 from the previous year. It is important to note that delays tend to be more pronounced in the early weeks of the school year as new drivers familiarize themselves with their designated routes.

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Additional Resources

• WBIR: Knox County Schools Bus Driver Shortage
• Knox News: Bus Driver Shortage Mirrors National Trend
• WATE: Knox County Schools Facing Bus Driver Shortage
• Wikipedia: Bus Driver
• Times Free Press: Local Update on Bus Driver Shortage
• Google Search: Knox County Schools Bus Driver Shortage

Author: STAFF HERE KNOXVILLE WRITER

The KNOXVILLE STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREKnoxville.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Knoxville, Knox County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as Dogwood Arts Festival, Big Ears Festival, and Knoxville Asian Festival. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership and United Way of Greater Knoxville, plus leading businesses in healthcare, education, and energy that power the local economy such as Covenant Health, University of Tennessee, and Tennessee Valley Authority. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREBristol.com, HEREChattanooga.com, HEREMemphis.com, and HERENashville.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Tennessee's dynamic landscape.