Bus Co. Head Asks for Patience from MASD Parents

Still short 22 drivers, but president is optimistic

By Adam Reinherz
The Tube City Almanac
September 23, 2022
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News

Krise Transportation says it has been aggressively recruiting drivers to fill its new contract with McKeesport Area School District, using TV and Internet ads like this one. (YouTube)

Tim Krise understands that McKeesport area parents are frustrated, but the president of Krise Transportation is asking for patience.

Since entering into agreement with McKeesport Area School District this summer, Krise Transportation has sought to remedy a difficult situation.

Krise noted that families and students experienced days last year “where routes were not covered, were delayed or were canceled within an hour or two of when students were supposed to be picked up.”

Krise Transportation’s objective, he said, “is communication — whether it's good or bad — with the school district and the parents.”

Last year, McKeesport Area School District and its then-bus provider went to court over frequent bus cancellations, with the district accusing the bus company of defaulting on its obligations, while the company accused the district of failing to uphold student discipline. Krise took over the McKeesport Area contract for this academic year.

New company started year from scratch

But at Wednesday’s school board meeting, several parents expressed frustration with the new bus schedules and shortages of drivers.

In the past, Krise said, when his company has taken over a previous contract, the drivers — who are familiar with the routes, riders and community  — have come over and continued managing those runs.

“That didn’t happen in this case,” Krise said. After the district ended its contract with Pennsylvania Coach Lines, Krise Transportation started the school year with zero drivers. The company has gone on to hire 28 people to handle the district’s routes since then.

The increased number of employees is “commendable,” Krise said, but at least another 22 people are needed.

Parents recruited to provide alternate transportation

At Wednesday’s school board meeting, district business manager R. Scott Domowicz said McKeesport Area school officials are working on temporary solutions.

One of them is an alternative student transportation company called EverDriven Technologies LLC, which is covering several district routes while Krise reaches full capacity, Domowicz said.

During its Sept. 21 meeting, MASD’s board approved an agreement with EverDriven.

Additionally, thanks to a board-approved transportation reimbursement contract, parents can get paid for mileage driven when transporting children to and from school.

If parents enter into the contract — which requires demonstrating a valid driver’s license, updated insurance and registration — and submit a monthly mileage report, parents will be reimbursed at the IRS federal rate of 62.5 cents per mile, Domowicz said.

Those seeking additional information, he added, can contact the district’s transportation director, Tom Knight, at TKnight@mckasd.net.

Domowicz said that reliance on EverDriven and the parent contract are temporary measures undertaken by the district as it waits for Krise to reach capacity. The district, he added, will be reimbursed by the state for money paid to EverDriven and those parents who’ve entered into the aforementioned contract.

Krise advertising for more employees

For the past several months, Krise Transportation has been aggressively advertising on cable TV and the Internet.

“We did heavy recruitment campaigns, driver incentives, job fairs, all the things that we typically do to lure in people, and it was somewhat successful,” Tim Krise said.

The experience made clear that while finding drivers isn’t difficult, finding qualified ones is more challenging, Krise said.

“We've had over probably 100 people apply, and out of those 100, only 20 percent are eligible to be employed to drive kids back and forth to school,” he said. “We've had people apply that had a DUI in the last two years. We've had people with convictions on their criminal background check. We've had people with poor driving records. And those people are automatically rejected.

“There's a lot more to it than just saying, ‘Okay, you could drive a bus tomorrow.’ It doesn't work that way,” Krise said.

Company will assist new drivers

Obtaining a commercial driver’s license, or CDL, which is required of Pennsylvania school bus operators, requires several steps. Along with possessing requisite documentation and completing necessary training, there are approximately 17 different forms that must be signed, Krise said.

The company assists its employees through the process, but everything isn’t completed overnight.

“It takes four-to-six weeks if you walk through the door right now to get your CDL, and get fully trained to meet our standards and the school district standards,” Krise said.

The company would be farther ahead if “we just hired people right off the street, put them behind the wheel, but I'm sure the parents wouldn't want that to happen.”

Krise credited his employees, many of whom are not only driving but recruiting, training and “putting in 12-14 days right now.”

He said that because of the pandemic, bus drivers are under a lot of stress: “We had a minimum of 10 drivers out because they had COVID. That adds to the fire.”

The challenge for employers, according to Krise, is that “even if you have a full complement of drivers — and some schools do — you could have three or four drivers call out tomorrow.” What the pandemic evidenced, he continued, is that “if you have a full complement today, it doesn't mean you're going to be okay tomorrow.”

EverDriven operates non-CDL vehicles — those with nine passengers or less, excluding the driver — Krise said: “We welcome that. We are working collectively with them and the school district to give them routes that are still not covered to get kids back in school.”

Krise praised the district and called it “very supportive.”

He said he wanted parents to know that realistically there will always be traffic, road closures or construction-related delays, but he’s optimistic a day will soon be reached where bus drivers don’t face the demands of managing multiple and competing runs.

“We are obviously not saying anything is perfect right now,” he said. “We're doing everything we can to make it better, to get it back so people can rely on consistency, times, but more importantly, safety every day. We're working towards that goal every day — and we will get there sooner than later. We're working hard every day.”

Adam Reinherz is a Pittsburgh-based writer. He can be reached at adam.reinherz@gmail.com

Originally published September 23, 2022.

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