Broward school bus operators gear up for the first day of school

With the first day of school around the corner, school bus operators with Broward County Public Schools are making sure they’re up to speed on their new routes.

“Today is our first day of dry run. Our drivers are out familiarizing themselves with their routes. We had a conference this morning so they’re geared up and ready to go,” said Dr. Simone Clowers, Task Assigned Director for BCPS Student Transportation and Fleet Services.

On Wednesday, school bus drivers in Broward had a dress rehearsal before the big day.

“We’re going through our pre-trip runs where you might see us on the road with the stop signs, making sure that we stop at the proper locations, making sure the buses are working, making sure the air conditioner is working. So we’re going through the pattern so that on Monday, hopefully we have a smooth run and there won’t be any disruptions,” said Jason Celinski, a bus driver with Broward County Public Schools.

Operators came in and out of the BCPS Student Transportation & Fleet Services North County Terminal in Pompano Beach, practicing their pick-up and drop-off routes as they prepare to safely transport kids this school year.

“All of our routes are full. We don’t expect any openings for the opening of school, however, we are still aggressively hiring and recruiting. We’re looking for about 80 drivers, but we have about 813,” said Dr. Clowers.

The district also showcased its new fleet of electric school buses. They acquired 60 new eco-friendly buses and 10 are ready to roll out on the first day of school. Fast chargers are also in place thanks to a partnership with FPL.

“We’re super excited about our new edition. We did get about 60 buses and we have 10 that are going to hit the road starting the first day of school. This is our first time doing something this big on this scale to help the environment,” said Dr. Clowers.

Broward County Public Schools is the first school district in South Florida to kick off the school year with battery-operated, zero-emissions buses. Miami-Dade County Public Schools is also rolling out these greener EV buses this year.

The first day of school for Broward County Public Schools is Aug. 21.