New bus drivers added, more needed

The Grand Coulee Dam School District has two new bus drivers. And they need more.

Joining the drivers recently were Joan Gross and Chris Wonch. They had completed a comprehensive training schedule and were both on routes last Tuesday. Gross had a route in Electric City and Wonch was subbing for another driver.

Both were trained by Transportation Supervisor Stephanie Duclos.

"We need more drivers," Duclos said last week. She would welcome anyone interested to get in touch with her at the district's bus garage.

"We are always short on drivers, and I even fill in," Duclos said. The pay is good, with drivers receiving $19.34 an hour, and the hours aren't bad either, Duclos said.

When asked about complaints on a Grand Coulee route above the canal, Duclos said, "I have received the complaint that the bus is overcrowded.

"Actually, we have a 28-passenger bus on that route with 20 students riding it. What happens is that some of the larger students want a seat all by themselves, and that makes it appear crowded," Duclos said.

"On that complaint, I invited the person to come and ride the bus, but they never did," the supervisor stated.

"We don't allow any standing by students on our buses, and our drivers are all advised of this. Safety is the first thing we talk about with our drivers," Duclos said.

It takes as much as three months to thoroughly train drivers, but "driving is fun," Duclos said.

"We need drivers and substitutes, and it seems that we never have enough," she added.

Last year the district was three drivers short and that has carried over to this year. The district always needs potential drivers in the pipeline to replace any driver that is retiring or doing something else, Duclos stated.

Both Gross and Wonch were excited to be new drivers.