Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:58 AM
Updated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:59 AM

 

Low pay equals bus mechanic shortage

Berkeley County Supervisor of Transportation Glenn Dyches and his seven-man team are "spread as thin as possible trying to repair as many repairs that need to be done" to Berkeley County school buses.

With an aging fleet and less two employees, bus maintenance can fall through the cracks or must wait a while to get done.

But, according to Dyches, most of this broken system could be fixed by setting mechanic salaries higher to attract potential employees to his office.

"When I used to wrench, I made more money than what my mechanics make here," Dyches lamented. "I can't tell you the reason why they don’t set their salaries higher."

The mechanic salaries are a statewide issue, he added.

Newer buses may help the situation, too. A majority of buses in Berkeley County are more than 10 years old and some are "past their service life," Dyches said. "I've got an incredibly aging bus fleet ... we maintain them the best we can for the age that they are."

New legislation replaces buses every 15 years in the state and Berkeley County will obtain 13 new buses by the end of the month.

"(But) it won’t relieve the problem of all of our fatigued buses," Dyches said.

As to repairs falling through the cracks on some buses? District drivers are encouraged to write up issues on a daily basis to make sure there is no communication break down with the limited bus service staff.

"If you write it up once, you've got to write it up every day until it's repair," Dyches said.

Meanwhile, Dyches is advertising for more mechanics to help the repairs become more streamlined, but not hopeful due to the low salaries.

"We hope for the best," he said.