An image of a school bus. (Stock image)¶
Rutherford County School Board Chief Communications Officer James Evans announced that dozens of the district’s school bus routes would not be serviced on Monday or Tuesday due to a contracting issue.¶
Evans says one of the contractors the board uses to employ school bus drivers has lost insurance coverage, meaning those buses cannot be used until it is restored. The issue affects approximately 40 buses and 41 different school bus routes.¶
“We are working with our other contractors to cover as many of the routes as possible,” Evans said in a post from the Rutherford County Breaking News Facebook page. “If you are impacted, you will receive additional information later this evening -- directly from our transportation department -- about your specific bus route.”¶
Route Outage Details¶
Rutherford County Schools does not operate its own bus system and instead hires more than 120 contractors to provide students with transportation to and from school.¶
Evans said the district plans to excuse all absences and tardies for students who are impacted by this week’s situation.¶
“Even if your route is not affected, we anticipate this situation may cause other delays with buses,” Evans continued in the post. “We know this is an incredible inconvenience for some families, and we truly apologize.”¶
Avoiding a Strike in 2025¶
This isn’t the first time Rutherford County Schools has faced challenges with student transportation.¶
Last year, the district dealt with the threat of a strike by its contracted bus drivers over insurance and other issues. In early April 2025, school bus drivers sent a letter to the district, threatening to withhold service due to the board’s refusal to resume negotiations on a new contract. The board had previously agreed to an offer including a 17 percent pay raise and a 2 percent additional raise over the next three years, but the Rutherford County Bus Contractors Organization (RCBCO) called the proposal “a poverty wage.”¶
The board eventually agreed to a deal with the RCBCO in May 2025, which included the 17 percent pay raise with a slightly increased 2.5 percent annual raise over three years and a $4,000 stipend to help drivers pay for their bus insurance.¶
The board will hold a special meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in hopes of reaching a resolution to this latest transportation challenge, though there is currently no official timetable.¶
