OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — With the school year quickly approaching, Omaha Public Schools (OPS) addressed what it's doing on a local level to combat a national bus driver shortage.
OPS said issues like route delays will happen, but they hope an expanded call center will help communication with parents.
"We have access to the transportation systems that also give us the opportunity to provide as much information that [we] can during that first initial experience," said Chris Phillips, chief operating officer of North End Teleservices.
With a decrease of 60 routes, a high call volume is anticipated for the beginning of the school year.
"If you have a driver shortage, then what you really want to expand on is parents still having a good customer service experience," said Trevis Sallis, OPS executive director of student transportation.
OPS is also partnering with two transportation services: Student Transportation of America and First Student. They said this will put them in a better position to hire more qualified drivers; drivers like Jared Smith, who has been an OPS driver for 15 years and loves what he does.
"You get to be involved in so many different people's lives, you know, and affect so many people on such a deep level, in a positive way so," said Smith.
While the driver shortage has been an ongoing issue, OPS remains optimistic about the future.
"We have staff that put in the extra hours and the extra time to make sure that they remove any barriers to keep our approximately 52,000 students from having a successful educational experience," said Sallis.
And while the call center can't replace the need for drivers, Sallis said, "they help fill the gap of customer service."
Parents can call the transportation hotline at 531-299-0140 on weekdays between 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The call center's goal is to answer customers' calls within 30 seconds or less to help with questions or concerns.
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