School principal and athletic director step up to drive school buses

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (WTMJ) - The demand for bus drivers is higher than ever, but drivers are nowhere to be found.

Students at Pewaukee High School started feeling the effects of the bus driver shortage last year, mainly with the school’s 650 student athletes.

“We had students that were leaving significantly early so the bus could drop them off at the other school and then be able to be back for the afternoon route,” principal Brian Sniff said.

Athletic director Jeff Behrens said they had to find “creative ways” to get athletes to events.

Currently, the Goriteway Transportation Group that partners with Pewaukee High School says they have 21 bus drivers for the upcoming school year. They say that is just enough to get by at the moment.

“On any given night, we might have two or three teams that might be traveling so that requires bus drivers for each of those,” Sniff said.

Sniff and Behrens decided to go the extra mile to help, and both got their commercial driver’s licenses, which means they will be able to step in whenever there is a need for a bus driver to take athletic teams to away games or students to field trips.

“It’s another hat, but we are willing to do whatever we need to do to serve our kids,” Behrens said.

The two take their official bus driving test on Friday, and when they pass, they say that they will help out in any way they can for as long as they need to.