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CMS raises starting pay for district bus drivers to $15 an hour

By Elsa Gillis and Kristin Leigh
By Elsa Gillis and Kristin Leigh

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced Monday they will be raising starting salary for district bus drivers to $15 an hour, effective Oct. 1.

Officials said this makes CMS bus drivers the highest paid drivers in the state.

"This is great news for our drivers and great news for their passengers -- our students," Superintendent Dr. Clayton Wilcox said. "We think this will increase our recruitment and retention rates significantly. We value our drivers, who perform such an important role in getting kids to school each day. This raise recognizes their value to our district."

The district said it has 1,000 drivers and the raise will affect 700 of them. The 300 bus drivers who are already earning $15 an hour will receive an increase of 50 cents per hour.

The Executive Director of Transportation Adam Johnson said the increase was accomplished by redirecting funds that were already in the budget.

[CMS bus driver shortage and bell schedule changes]

"We had more than 50 positions that were funded but not filled," Johnson said. "We were able to use that money, which was being held aside, to give our bus drivers a much-deserved hourly raise."

Officials said CMS like many other districts struggled to recruit and retain bus drivers. As of Oct. 5, CMS had more than 60 bus driver vacancies.

"For us the issue isn't hiring as much as retaining the people we hire," Johnson said. "This year, we've hired more than 100 drivers and lost 90 drivers. We hope this raise will improve retention rates, as well as morale."

Channel 9 investigated the major shortage of CMS district bus drivers that is causing students to arrive late to school and forcing drivers to double-up on routes.

A CMS bus driver, who did not want to be identified, said the drivers and children deserved better.

"We have lives in our hands, you know, and the bus drivers just feel underappreciated," the bus driver said.

It’s a frustrating situation, the bus driver said.

"If it wasn't for us, the teachers would have no one to teach,” the bus driver said. “We are the ones that get up at 4, 3, 6 o'clock in the morning to make sure that the kids get to school on time and get there, and so us being underpaid like that, no one is going to come drive for us."

This driver that spoke with Channel 9 initially made about $13 an hour.

"I love CMS,” the bus driver said. “I love working for CMS because I love kids, you know, and I love seeing them smile in the morning. But I also have a family to feed of my own, and right now, I just can't live like this, especially with the cost of living going up in Charlotte."

They said the low pay was pushing away drivers to other school districts and better paying jobs. This means those who remain had to pick up the slack.

This driver said many of the students on their routes would get to school late and have been dropped off at home hours after the school day ended, which presented an even more serious problem for some.

“You never know what kids are going through at home,” the driver said. “So, some kids may not eat breakfast and by the time they get to school, breakfast is already over.”

Starting pay for the district’s school bus drivers was $12.87 an hour.

A CATS bus operator's pay starts at over $17 an hour.

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average hourly pay for bus drivers in the U.S. is $15 an hour.

"Your child is your most precious thing on this earth,” the bus driver said. “Why shouldn't we get paid $15, $16 an hour? I don't think that it's right. I don't think that it's fair, and I just think that they should start doing something about it, or they're going to lose more drivers."

The Cleveland County School District is having similar troubles finding bus drivers.

According to our news partner, The Shelby Star, the school district has about a dozen openings for drivers. Right now, other employees are covering bus routes.

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