McKeesport bus company to give double pay and free training to attract more bus drivers

PITTSBURGH — A bus company that provides service to 22 school districts is doubling pay and offering free CDL training, in an effort to get enough bus drivers for the upcoming school year.

The president of McKeesport-based Sun Coach Lines on Monday announced plans to more than double the pay rate for existing and new bus drivers to try to address a shortage of drivers across the region.

“We as much as anybody want to see the kids go back to school,” explained President Daivd Sunstein.

Sunstein will offer a guaranteed rate of $168 per day, an increase of more than double previous average rates of $80 per day, said spokeswoman Carrie Butler.

“Our goal is to try to fix the problem and get a head of it that is why we are starting so early,” explained Sunstein.

Transportation companies nationwide were up against a bus driver shortage before COVID-19 really kicked in and its only gotten worse.

“We lost a lot of drivers during COVID. We lost basically two whole generations of drivers we lost the older drivers who were afraid of getting COVID,” Sunstein said. “The alternative is some kids maybe go back to virtual schooling, which I don’t think anybody wants, so we’re trying to solve the problem.”

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