Privatization is No Answer to Bus Driver Shortage

Brandy Velasquez has had a long career getting students safely to school for Jefferson County Schools in Colorado. She’s driven special needs students and received training on what to do when a student needs help. Private rideshare drivers do not have the same level of training, nor the same level of concern, she says.

One afternoon at pickup, she saw a young girl, about 8, who appeared to have severe autism and was visibly upset about getting into a rideshare vehicle. 

Not only did the driver not get out of the vehicle to console her, but the driver also didn’t even seem to acknowledge her. 

“Watching this happen was absolutely heart breaking to me. In all my training and my 30 years of experience with Jefferson County, I know this is not how you make a young student feel comfortable,” she says. “It is shameful for Jefferson County schools to sign contracts with these private companies knowing their employees do not share the same compassion as their own bus drivers.” 

Career Drivers Offer More Safety, Stability 

There is an ongoing bus driver shortage in Jefferson County. Like other Colorado school districts and many districts around the country, it turned to rideshare companies to fill in the gaps, particularly for students with disabilities and others who have the right to free school transportation under federal law.

But educators say the problem with outsourcing bus drivers is that rideshare drivers are not career education staff but members of the gig economy who look at driving school children as just another job.

Trevor Byrne, president of the Jefferson County Transportation Association, says that that the district should not outsource jobs but hire Jefferson County (Jeffco) drivers who are fully trained, accountable, committed, and connected to the community and the students they serve. 

“Companies such as HopSkipDrive, EverDriven and Noah Care are being used to transport our students due to the perceived staffing crisis, a crisis manufactured by low wages, subpar benefits and a lack of proper hiring practices such as advertising jobs at the incorrect pay rates,” Byrne says.

Byrne and his colleagues have witnessed rideshare drivers not arriving on time or getting lost. The companies also send out different drivers to pick up students almost every time. All students, especially those with special needs or disabilities, need consistency and deserve a safe, familiar face driving them to and from school, he says.

Rideshares Cost More, Union Discovers

The union found that Jefferson County spent $3.5 million on outsourcing to rideshare companies, which is more than 40 percent of what the district spends on its own bus driver wages.

“This is money that should be put back into transportation to hire and retain more bus drivers,” he says.

The Jefferson County Transportation Association is part of the Jeffco Education Support Professional Association (JESPA).

Outsourcing is a top issue for the JESPA membership, who have consistently raised concerns about the district’s continued failure to create a comprehensive staffing plan but instead resort to outsourcing. JESPA filed a complaint to the Colorado Department of Labor for failures to post jobs with correct pay ranges as required in the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

“Companies such as HopSkipDrive, EverDriven and Noah Care are being used to transport our students due to the perceived staffing crisis, a crisis manufactured by low wages, subpar benefits and a lack of proper hiring practices such as advertising jobs at the incorrect pay rates,” Byrne says.

At a school board meeting, Nikki Wilson, a mother of two daughters with special needs who have used rideshare services, highlighted the detrimental effects of outsourcing on student safety.  

She said drivers often showed up late or were also making food deliveries while driving her children to school. 

“The safety of our kids needs to be our top priority…Our Jeffco bus drivers provide consistency. They know my daughters, and care enough to engage, relate, and communicate. Consistency means safety. We need to do everything in our power to keep our drivers thriving in Jeffco.” 

Wilson highlighted the recent report from In The Public Interest, “School Support Services Outsourcing: The Original Privatization of Education” which highlights nationwide evidence that contracting out student transportation services is not in the best interest of students, district financial health, and employees.  

Enormous Growth for Rideshare Companies

Despite that, rideshare company growth is exploding. HopSkipDrive saw a 300 percent increase in rides during the 2022-2023 school year, and expanded its markets during the 2023-2025 school year to Bakersfield, California; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Richmond, Virginia; and Tucson, Arizona. 

Now more than 10,000 schools in about 600 school districts across the country have used HopSkipDrive. 

The union has worked to make more parents and families understand the risks and problems with a private driver. Users who agree to this service through an app waive their rights to take these companies to court or engage in class actions, agreeing to arbitration only, which generally is not to favor the user, but the company. 

The district is pushing a privatization agenda, Byrne says, but the union will continue to push back.

“The outsourcing of transportation services to private rideshare companies often leads to reduced service quality, diminished worker rights, and a loss of community connection,” he says. “This trend is another facet of the encroaching corporate influence that we are determined to combat.”