ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools is working to hire 100 bus drivers before the start of the school year. 

The school district is still dealing with a nationwide commercial driver shortage, and it’s not just limited to school bus drivers.

School officials said, historically, over the last 10 to 15 years, there has been a reduction in the number of applicants entering the profession.

Bill Wen, the senior director of transportation services for OCPS, said the bus driver shortage got worse during the pandemic when many drivers retired.

“The average age of our workforce is 58 and many are approaching retirement age,” he said.

The school district is hoping to reverse that trend with pay raises, bonus incentives and the newest school bus fleet.

Wen said OCPS transports more than 58,000 students during the school year. In August, the district will utilize new technology is some of the recently purchased buses.

Some of the new technology on the buses include tablets, 360 degree cameras and RFID cards for students.

“To tap on and tap off the bus when they get on,” he said.

The school district is holding two more job fairs this summer to recruit and retain drivers. Wen said new bus driver hires can receive a $2,000 signing bonus and up to $10,800 in annual incentives.

“Incentives for perfect attendance, coming to work every day, safe driving — for not having any crashes,” he said.

The district also agreed to a 9% pay increase for all staff near the end of the school year.

Starting pay for bus drivers is $17.19 an hour, with a 1% per year increase added for drivers applying with previous experience.

New mechanics are also eligible for a $3,000 signing bonus.

The next job fair is Monday, July 15, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Pine Hills Compound.

The last one is on July 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hanging Moss Compound.