'Mom Army' in Wisconsin Drives School Buses with Their Own Kids on Board — Here's Why

Anna Lazarus Caplan
·2 min read
11

Amid a driver shortage, parents across the state are finding creative solutions to the problem

(Photo: Stuart Monk/Shutterstock) Many school districts have carefully organized bus schedules to get kids of all ages to their elementary, middle and high schools on time.
(Photo: Stuart Monk/Shutterstock) Many school districts have carefully organized bus schedules to get kids of all ages to their elementary, middle and high schools on time.

Moms in Wisconsin are stepping into the driver’s seat — literally — to combat the shortage of school bus drivers.

Since the pandemic, school districts across the state have been increasingly faced with the problem, according to NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV. But in Kaukauna, which is about a 100 miles north of Milwaukee, local parents are getting creative about a solution.

One such mom is Sydney Reichert, who began driving a bus when she realized she wanted to earn a paycheck but wasn’t sure about being separated from her then-7-week-old daughter, Nova.

Related: High School Senior, 17, Dies After Being Struck by School Bus While on Bike: Police

Per NBC affiliate WGBA-TV, Reichert signed on for a new job driving with the Kaukauna Area School District and Kobussen Buses, making it possible for her to work with her daughter by her side.

“So she sits in her car seat just like she would in my car, and she usually falls asleep so it's a nap,” Reichert told the outlet.

The mom added, “[Nova] gets excited when we show up and grab the keys and she likes to say hi to everybody. Some of the kids say hi to her, some of the kids don’t even know she’s on the bus.”

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And Reichert is just one of several local moms — affectionately known around Kobussen as the "mom army” — who are becoming bus drivers.

“This job gives me the opportunity to stay home with my 2-year-old, bring him to work with me, and he gets to have that social environment with all the other kiddos on the bus,” fellow driver and "mom army" member Carleigh Trudeau told WGBA.

Related: Teachers Are Using TikTok to Share How Far Students Are Falling Behind: 'These Babies Cannot Read'

And the moms taking the keys aren't limited to Kobussen, with safety manager Henrique Hilgenberg telling the outlet that it's been "happening throughout the state."

Following the pandemic and an ongoing driver shortage, WTMJ-TV reported that Wisconsin cities and towns have been forced to find ways to lure prospective employees.

According to the outlet, a recent study by transportation solutions company HopSkipDrive found that 92% of school districts in the state faced a shortage — and 30% severely.

And for some districts, such as one in New Berlin, Wisconsin, that means offering incentives to climb aboard. New drivers there can earn as much as $23 an hour and some may be eligible for bonuses, WTMJ reported.

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