School buses running smoothly ahead of first day of school

After a summer off drivers will again see school buses on the road with many schools beginning classes this week.

With routes all over the southeast coordinating all the drivers and students is a tough task with plenty of work going into the leadup to the school year.

Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division (SECPSD) Director of Education Keith Keating talks about their work with the buses over the summer.

"We currently have 155 roads across our division and I know they've been busy here in the last week. They've had bus driver meetings and all of the three areas of the school division to go through a few things and start off the year in the right way."

Keating says that currently there are a few roads that need a driver, saying that it's harder and harder to find those.

that's especially true of more rural areas in the southeast.

"You see them sprinkled across different different areas, but rural areas are one of the places that have the highest need."

The buses themselves are ready for the new year with plenty of maintenance ongoing over the summer.

"The fleet is looking really good. We replace quite a number of buses every year and we have a number of mechanics that do an excellent job of making sure they're well maintained and the bus drivers take care of them very well."

Keating says there are a number of different roads still looking for a driver and people can apply to be a bus driver by going to the SECPSD's website.

"Once you apply, we provide all of the training in order to get your endorsement."

With all those busses on the roads Keating gives a reminder to drivers to keep an eye out for them while on the road.