House Transportation committee debates lowering school-bus driver age; two amendments fail

The Tennessee House Transportation Committee on March 11 debated a bill that would change the minimum age for exceptions to the school bus driver endorsement and considered two amendments that would lower the exception age to 21 and to 23; both amendments failed in committee votes.

Committee members heard extended testimony from the Department of Safety and outside witnesses explaining the tradeoffs between safety requirements and a widespread shortage of bus drivers. The Department of Safety described federal training and licensing requirements and cited a high-profile fatal bus crash that had informed a previous increase in the minimum age for drivers.

Committee context: The bill under consideration would preserve a 25-year-old standard age for the S endorsement but change the age used in limited exceptions for certain applicants (teachers employed by the local education agency, honorably discharged members of the armed forces, or members of the National Guard or reserves). Representative proponents offered an amendment (drafting code 004147) to lower the exception age to 21; another amendment (drafting code 004588) would have set the exception at 23. The committee rejected both amendments.

Why it matters: School systems across Tennessee report shortages of qualified school-bus drivers; committee members and witnesses said shortages have forced late arrivals, longer routes and cancelled field trips. Supporters…