A comparison of school bus drivers' perceptions in high turnover and low turnover departments

The purpose of this research was to examine the perceptions of school bus drivers in school district transportation departments with high driver turnover and low driver turnover. A school bus driver shortage, which has adversely affected students across the nation for several years, has magnified the ramifications of high driver turnover, hence this study was timely and intended to provide information and recommendations to improve driver retention and recruitment.; Following a preliminary study of the driver shortage, The School Bus Drivers' Perceptions Survey was administered to 100 drivers from a department in central Colorado, with a 52% turnover rate, and 87 drivers from a central New York district, with a 4.5% turnover rate. Economic conditions were similar in these two locations. Perceptions of why subjects became school bus drivers, their job satisfaction, stress, anticipated service, and demographic data were analyzed.; Examination of the survey data made it possible to identify differences in drivers between the two departments, find out if male and female drivers perceived their work differently, and test the relationship between job satisfaction and stress. By also analyzing exit interview data of drivers who voluntarily resigned during a two-year period prior to the survey, reasons were identified as why school bus drivers have left the job and why they think they would leave their present positions.; Drivers in the low turnover department from the researcher-named Onondaga School District rated their perceptions of job satisfaction significantly higher than the drivers in the high turnover department named Ute School District. Onondaga drivers were more experienced with 65% having six or more years in comparison to Ute's 64% with five or fewer years, and they were present for duty more than Ute drivers with a lower rate of absenteeism for the year before. Ute drivers were least satisfied with their compensation and evidenced a less long-term intention to continue as school bus drivers than did the respondents from Onondaga.