PENDER COUNTY, N.C. — A few weeks into the school year and districts across the state are dealing with bus driver shortages.
In Wake County, there are 318 bus driver vacancies and Charlotte-Mecklenberg Schools reports 47 open positions. On the coast, Pender County Schools is still looking for eight bus drivers, which is causing a delay in getting students to and from schools on time.
Some Pender County students have had to wait hours for their buses to and from school due to the shortage. The superintendent, Brad Breedlove, says this has become a common problem.
“Similar situations are happening you know across Pender County as well as across the state of North Carolina,” Breedlove said. “It’s just a part of the process of smoothing things out, it will take a couple of weeks.”
Despite needing eight additional drivers this year, Pender County Schools recently fired a long-time driver and coach.
Since then, there’s been an outpouring of support from parents and students in the community. Dozens of supporters gathered at the county’s Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, calling on the district to give him his job back.
Melvin London Jr. had been driving buses since 2013.
“I mean this whole situation,” London said. “I hate that it turned out the way that it did, because the only one suffering is the kids.”
He also works at his barber shop and has been a varsity coach for the school district. He does it all to support his community.
“All of that stuff helped me coming up as a kid,” London said. “Having a good bus driver, good coaches.”
A recent disagreement over a school bus cost him his jobs with the school district.
This year, the district moved London to an older bus — Bus 251 — that he says is unreliable. The school district, however, says Bus 251 passed all state-required inspections.
Maintenance records show dozens of trips to the shop since 2015, mostly for what appears to be routine maintenance. Records mention three jumpstarts, and repairs to air-conditioning and the entry door. The records also show four missed monthly inspections in 2018, 2020 and July and December 2022.
“It wasn’t me leaving or quitting,” London said. “I just refused to drive 251.”
While Breedlove spoke to Spectrum News 1 about bus driver hiring, he wouldn’t talk on camera about London’s firing, but a dismissal letter sent to London by Breedlove offers some details. He says they assigned him to Bus 251 to help manage the mileage of each bus. The letter says London didn’t want to drive it, quoting him saying:
“As a new driver, I had to drive the older buses, and now I should not have to.”
In the letter, the superintendent says he told London:
“I need you to drive Bus 251.”
The letter says London responded, “No, I’m not going to do it.”
The district fired him for refusing assigned duties.
Since then, an outpouring of support has come from the community. More than 1,400 people signed a petition to reinstate London as a driver and coach.
“Obviously over all the years of coaching, driving the bus to all the families and stuff I’ve touched,” London said. “I guess it’s made a difference.”
The district held its regular September Board of Education meeting Tuesday where they discussed transportation issues. Nine people spoke in the public comment period — and all but one showed support for London. Many of their comments included the four missing monthly inspections and questions as to why London simply could not be put on another bus.
In order to deal with the driver shortage, the board said some are making double and even triple runs, which is only adding to the delays in getting students to and from schools on time. The board said five drivers are in training but doesn’t expect them to be ready until next year.