By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE- It’s time to sit on the other side of the bus, say a few St. John Parish bus drivers/

The ongoing issue of the substitute bus driver shortage in St. John may have been resolved for now, but some drivers believe the real issues involving the shortage of drivers are still glaring them in the face.

With the inclusion of five LaidLaw temporary bus drivers fulfilling the increased need of St. John the Baptist Schools, there are new challenges to contemplate, according to the drivers.

&#8220I believe the real problem is not a shortage of drivers, but an issue of studying the routes to develop better ones that maximize time and the loads of children on the route,” said Linda Dumas, a permanent driver for St. John Parish Schools.

Dumas runs four separate routes starting at East St. John High School and then LaPlace Elementary, Lake Pontchartrain Elementary, and John L. Ory Elementary.

&#8220I am not late for my routes, there is enough time scheduled so the buses should be on time. I think the problem may be drivers who call in at the last minute to say they are not coming, when many of them know the day before if they will be there or not,” Dumas said.

&#8220My fear is that this temporary company will come in and try to negotiate a permanent contract that will affect our benefits and jobs in the future. The contract ends in May and who’s to say they don’t want a permanent home here,” said Alfreda Devare, also a permanent driver for St. John the Baptist Parish.

Superintendent Michael Coburn has already assured the drivers that they will not lose their jobs, but it is still a concern for parish bus drivers.

&#8220I am scared that they will try to use the fact that some of the drivers are not coming to work to persuade the system not to renew the contract with the union. It makes it seem like all the bus drivers are lazy and we’re not. We have many good drivers that are dedicated to their jobs,” Devare said.

&#8220What we want is a little respect. Many of us love our job and chose to be school bus drivers, not because we are uneducated, but because it is something we have a passion for. I love being a bus driver,” said Dumas.

&#8220We are having a communication problem in the system. Many of us didn’t know that there was such a huge problem getting substitute bus drivers, except from what we read in the papers,” said Bruce Scott, a substitute bus driver in St John Parish for about two years.

&#8220The school schedules are stacked to make sure that the bus routes don’t overlap one another during the day, so they are conducive to the bus schedule. What we need is better communication on how and where to run the routes. The parish has changed a lot in the last few years and it is time to revaluate the route schedules,” Scott said.

&#8220Who knows the routes better than the drivers? We would like to be part of the solution, not the problem. The supervisors make the bus schedules, but they are not the ones out in the field every day. If they would just let us help find a solution and include us in the process, things would run more smoothly,” Dumas said.

&#8220I don’t believe there is really a shortage of drivers, but a need for new methods and better pay so people will want to be bus driversß. If we were paid more it would help recruitment.” said Devare.

&#8220We get paid 5.15 an hour for field trips in the city and $10 for outside the city, but if we were asked to work extra, most of us would because we could use the extra money, said Dumas

&#8220I commend and respect Mr. Coburn, Mr. Owen and the board for doing what they could with what they had. I don’t have a problem with LaidLaw coming in, but if we were asked to help solve the problems the system is facing, there would be no need for outside help,” said Scott.