Today’s announcement of $26 million in funding to raise rural school bus driver wages shows a commitment to improving bus driver working conditions and ending the driver shortage, according to FIRST Union.

"Today’s announcement will go a long way to ensure decent working conditions for the school bus drivers who deliver our children to school," said Edward Miller, FIRST Union Researcher and Policy Analyst.

"Many school bus drivers are older, with school bus routes providing greater flexibility than urban driving. It's rewarding and enjoyable work, but passenger safety remains paramount."

"Bus drivers often shift from urban to school routes later in their their careers, but a wage differential would discourage that shift. This funding will help to ensure that there's no future shortage of school bus drivers."

Mr Miller said that the funding boost was the culmination of an important year of change within the bus industry that has seen wages increase by around 30 percent nationally alongside improvements to working hours, conditions and driver safety.

"None of this would have happened without bus drivers who have been consistently brave and determined to raise the standard after years of neglect by employers and government under a contracting model," said Mr Miller.

For school bus driver Raeleen Brunel, the news couldn’t have come at a better time.

"I’m over the moon," said Ms Brunel. "It’s the best Christmas present you could get."

"It puts us on a par with urban bus drivers and we’re starting off the 2023 school year feeling just as valued and important."

© Scoop Media