Orange County school bus drivers could earn up to $18,800 a year in bonuses, as Central Florida’s largest school district continues to combat an ongoing driver shortage.

The district still needed about 100 bus drivers when the second week of the new school year began Monday. With so many positions open, school bus drivers double up on routes, and students regularly wait on campus about 30 minutes after the bell rings for buses to pick them.

By offering more money, the district hopes to recruit drivers and alleviate the stress on its transportation department, said Bill Wen, transportation director for Orange County Public Schools.

About 130 people attended a district job fair Monday to apply for bus driver positions, and Wen credited both the new bonuses and promotion of the event for that turnout.

“It’s been the first time for an awful long time that we’ve had this many applicants come in,” Wen said.

The newest bonus gives drivers $8,000 a year for each of the next two years, if drivers take no paid time off. The deal came after a recent agreement between the school district and the bus driver’s union.

OCPS already offered bonuses of up to $10,800 a year, for perfect attendance, no crashes and other requirements. So combined, bus drivers could earn up to $18,800 extra a year with the new bonuses now in place.

Bus drivers earn $16.65 to $19.98 an hour, according to the OCPS website.

The district’s bus fleet hasn’t been fully staffed since the 2008-09 school year, Wen added.

But the bus driver shortage has been more acute across Florida since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Florida Education Association reported last week — when most Florida school districts started the 2024-25 school year — that “nearly every district is in need of bus drivers.”

This year, OCPS asked parents to register their students as bus riders or alert the district if no ride was needed. Administrators hoped knowing how many students were expected at each bus stop would help them eliminate unnecessary bus routes and streamline its services, Wen said.

About 30% of families have filled out the registration, he said, adding he hopes everyone does next year.

“By being able to consolidate routes sooner, we’ll reduce the amount of delays and waits and frustrations on the parents,” he said.