BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Widespread driver shortages are causing problems for Vermont schools – and a multi-generational crew of drivers in Lamoille County wants to help.
When a shortage of bus drivers forced Jerry Elliot to drive his daughter to school each day, he saw it as an opportunity.
“I said, well, I’m doing this already, why don’t I just do it for more,” said Elliot.
Elliot came out of retirement, training to become a driver for the Cambridge School District.
Today, he still drives his daughter to school – just on a 40-foot-long school bus with dozens of other students.
He says he’s proud to help out local families.
“You can see that you’re having a visceral effect on their families and their lives and being able to provide this service and get them to school safely and get them home safely,” said Elliot.
Jerry got behind the wheel during the pandemic — when the district had just two bus drivers.
That’s when he met Tom Lachance – another retiree who wanted to make a difference, too.
“I just wanted to be part of a solution, you know, not the problem,” said Lachance.
Lachance quickly fell in love with the job, recently recruiting his nephew Nick Lavalle to join the crew.
Once he completes training, it’ll bring the district up to five drivers.
It’ll make a big difference in a place where families are spread out and kids miss school if a driver calls out.
“It’s not just a job. It’s like community service too. So it’s, you’re doing something to really help out the families who can’t necessarily take their kids to school every day, said Lavalle.
The district says they’d like to hire at least one more driver to round things out, but they are well on their way to improved service.