Wake County Schools reports driver gains but officials say hundreds more drivers and buses would be needed to stop double‑back routes

Wake County School System transportation staff told the Wake County Board of Education at its Aug. 19 work session that the district has improved driver recruitment and fleet readiness for the 2025–26 school year but still lacks the scale to eliminate “double‑back” runs and shorten some morning pickup windows.

Bob Snyder, a transportation staff member who presented the update, said the district had 605 filled bus driver positions as of the previous Thursday, an increase of 32 drivers from the same point a year earlier. Snyder said the district has 564 routes planned for the coming year and just under 90,000 registered riders, and that typical measured ridership is about 70 percent of those assigned when the state’s count is taken.

Snyder said recruitment and retention have benefited from a dedicated HR recruiter and a marketing campaign that includes TV, radio and social media. He described the district’s pay incentives for drivers: a $1,000 retention bonus paid in September to drivers returning from the prior year, a $1,000 standing bonus paid in two $500 installments (end of first and second semester), and a $2,000 perfect‑attendance bonus paid at $200 per month over the 10‑month traditional calendar. "Every bus driver has the opportunity to earn up to $4,000 a year in bonuses," Snyder said.

Why it matters: board members said the gains are welcome but repeatedly pressed staff on who still bears the burden of long morning windows, and on how many more…