School Bus Service Canceled In Malibu Amid Driver Shortage

MALIBU, CA — School bus service in Malibu is expected to be suspended at the start of the upcoming school year as the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District grapples with a shortage of bus drivers, the district announced on Tuesday.

The district ended the school year five bus drivers short and expect two others to leave in the fall. Fully staffed, the district has 22 bus drivers, according to officials.

Those drivers serve Malibu students, as well as district athletic teams, field trips and special education students. Bus service is not offered to the general student population in Santa Monica, according to the district.

The suspension of bus service in Malibu does not apply to special education students. Those students will continue to have bus service as designated in their individualized education plans, according to the district.

"We are considering this to be a temporary situation as we continue to recruit to fill our critical bus driver shortage," district officials wrote in a letter Tuesday.

During the past school year, an average of 10 Webster Elementary School students and 58 Malibu Middle/High School students took the bus. Some 130 bus passes were sold for the past school year, "well below our historic bus pass sales," officials said.

"Many parents have moved to alternative forms of transportation for their students," they wrote.

The district is continuing to recruit new drivers and officials are evaluating methods to attract applicants, including on-the-job training and pay for temporary drivers who wish to become permanent employees. Additionally, the school board approved salary increases, officials said.

"This bus driver shortage is not unique to SMMUSD, but an issue being felt throughout the county, state and nation," according to officials.

Families are encouraged to reach out to neighbors and classmates to create carpools in advance of the school year as officials work to restore bus service.

Those interested in applying for bus driver positions can view a job description and application information online.

District officials have invited the community to a meeting on this matter, planned for July 10 at 11 a.m. at Webster Elementary School.