Jim Thorpe Area School District is feeling the effects of a nationwide bus driver shortage as the 2022-23 school year gets underway.

The shortage has led to some long waits for students, and a bus for afterschool activities being parked until further notice. The district blames a widespread shortage which is affecting its bus contractor, Brandywine Transportation.

“They are down drivers. We’re not the only school district facing that problem,” said Scott Pompa, president of the Jim Thorpe Area School District Board of Directors.

Jim Thorpe schools opened for the 2022-23 school year on Tuesday. Some parents reported late buses - not uncommon on the first day of school - which coincided with rainy weather.

Some buses were late because they were doing double duty - picking up elementary students after dropping off high school students from the day.

When families got their bus assignments last week, the district said some routes would be doubled because Brandywine has a shortage of drivers.

The shortage also caused the district to indefinitely cancel a bus which takes Penn Kidder students back from their practices and activities at the high school. Students still get a ride to practice, but parents now have to pick them up in Jim Thorpe instead of at Penn Kidder.

At a committee meeting last week, district administrators said Brandywine needs five more drivers to cover its routes.

Superintendent Robert Presley said that the activity bus will be back on the road if there are drivers available. The district could combine some bus routes in the coming weeks as they figure out which students do not use the bus to ride to school.

Brandywine has also been trying to recruit drivers. They have yard signs around the district. New drivers with a CDL license can get a $2,500 sign-on bonus, and drivers who begin CDL training can get $1,500.

Van drivers can receive a $500 bonus, and don’t need a CDL.

Brandywine has intermittently dealt with driver shortages at least as far back as 2019, when the school board signed a five-year contract to make the company its sole transportation provider. The pandemic made it harder for bus contractors around the state to find drivers.

Pompa said the driver shortage is just part of the larger employee shortage which has affected many sectors since the pandemic.

“People are looking for the ultimate job. And if they’re not finding it, they don’t want to work,” he said.