NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One Tennessee lawmaker has proposed lowering the minimum age to become a school bus driver to help address shortages felt by districts across the state.
In 2018, Tennessee raised the minimum age to be a bus driver from 21 to 25 following a deadly 2016 school bus crash in Chattanooga that killed six students and injured dozens more.
However, due to a recent bus driver shortage, Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna) would like to see the minimum age requirement dropped back down to 21.
“If I’m not mistaken, we are the most restrictive state in the nation,” Sparks said. “We talk about less bureaucracy, we talk about freeing up some of the burdens and deregulations sometimes.”
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Although the issue is improving, Wilson County Schools has been roughly a dozen bus drivers short for the past two years. The district has adjusted routes to accommodate students getting to and from school.
“There is a stigma about being a bus driver. It’s a large piece of equipment to drive, [and there are] a lot of students on there,” Bart Barker, public information officer for Wilson County Schools, said. “[There is a] tremendous amount of responsibility that goes with that.”