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Okaloosa schools outline bus-fleet gains, driver shortages and new routing tools
Summary
District transportation leaders said the fleet has been bolstered but driver shortages are forcing route consolidation; the department plans a parent reservation system, a switch from Bus Bulletin to Thrillshare, and adoption of Transfinder routing software.
Mister Gore, a transportation staff member, told the Okaloosa County School Board workshop that the district has updated its fleet but is still short of drivers, a shortage that is creating longer routes and occasional “double runs.”
Gore said the district’s total fleet is 224 buses, with about 151 buses operating daily and roughly 73 held in reserve. “We still have 3 that are non air conditioned buses in the primary fleet,” he said, adding that the district has ordered more than 100 buses since February 2021.
Board members and staff focused on staffing gaps: Gore gave route-level numbers including Crestview with 57 drivers and seven unfilled routes, Niceville with 23 drivers and eight unfilled routes, and the south end…
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