As kids gear up to go back to school, many Minnesota districts are still searching for enough bus drivers.

"Our industry, we're not, we can't just put up a sign on the door and say, 'sorry, we're short staffed.' We're going to close, right? I mean, we have to be there for the kids," said Kathryn Forboard, president of the Minnesota School Bus Operations Association.

Forboard says shortages have stayed about the same compared to recent years. Rural communities like Dassel-Cokato are feeling the pinch the most, relying on expanding partnerships with other local transportation services.

"For the most part, I think it's, you know, they're just maybe getting creative with scheduling, but they're, they're doing everything they can to, you know, maintain those routes, which is sometimes difficult," said Forboard. "It takes a couple of weeks for people to get their license. They're not really thinking about it, maybe until, you know, August hits and it's like, OK, we're in back-to-school mode."

In Rochester, Michael Pierce manages First Student. He says this year they're closer to being fully staffed than they've been in years, but still short.

"I'd say on paper, we're closer to being fully staffed for school startup this year than we have in probably the last three. We're probably anywhere from five to 10 drivers short for startup for this year," said Pierce.

Pierce says higher pay and bonuses are helping attract more applicants.

"We feel that's gone quite a good way for increasing our application flow. I mean, because seven hours of pay at $26 an hour, that's essentially full-time pay for part-time hours."

To help cover shortages, managers and other staff with the proper driver's licenses will often step in to make sure kids have a ride to school.