Dozens attend Dayton Public Schools bus driver hiring event

Dayton Public School officials are looking for bus drivers due to their shortage for the 2019 school year.

The school held a hiring event Monday seeking future drivers.

One person applying for a position, Emmanuel Lewis, said he used to be a bus driver, but quit before DPS bus drivers threatened to strike last year.

After a new contract agreement included an increase in pay for new bus drivers, Lewis says it’s just one of the reasons why he decided to try again.

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“Driving, it’s a responsibility, but it’s a source of freedom,” he said. “I like children and I feel like they need an education so I want to drive them to school so they can learn something.”

During the hiring event, a school representative explained to applicants that bus drivers who get their commercial drivers license would now be paid more than $12 an hour, and if drivers take a civil service test, they could make more than $16 an hour.

This increase in pay is just one of the reasons dozens of people showed up to the event.

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A former truck driver, Ocie Devance, said he was looking forward to not only the pay, but also the hours.

“Got tired of sitting around and decided I would find something do to,” he said. “I’m going to see what it would like...see if I would like to be a bus driver...I think I’d like it pretty good.”

In order to be a DPS bus driver, applicants must have a valid Ohio license with no DUI or OVI violations on their record, be able to pass a background and drug test, and also need to be 21 years or older.