Francophone South School District is looking for at least 10 part-time drivers. (CBC)

There's a critical shortage of part-time school bus drivers in the Francophone South and Anglophone East school districts.

It's due partly to the size of the new districts, according to Luc Lajoie, director of administration and finances for the Francophone South school district.

The francophone south district has grown significantly and with four new schools opening up by 2015, full-time jobs will also be coming up, luring part-time drivers away and creating vacancies, he said. Drivers must start in part-time positions before being hired full-time.

"There's always some domino effect because somebody from Bouctouche might want to drive to Shediac, so now that we have a big area, we have shortages everywhere," said Lajoie.

The francophone district plans to launch a media campaign to help recruit at least 10 new drivers in the new year, with wages of $19 per hour, he said.

"Since we're near that crisis, we want to get the communication and people talking about being a bus driver."

Part-time drivers can draw Employment Insurance to supplement their income until they get on full-time, he said, adding that would likely be soon, particularly if they are willing to relocate.

Making students late for school

Without more drivers, there will be delays in getting students to school on time, said Lajoie.

"It is quite serious because sometimes in the morning, we have to double run. We take a regular driver, he does his regular run, and after that he comes back and does the run of the other bus driver," he said.

And the four new schools will add at least 400 more students within the next three or four years, said Lajoie.

Dave McCormick, the transportation co-ordinator for the Anglophone East school district, says the situation is similar in his district. He is also looking for 10 new drivers in the new year.

"There is times that we do run short and worst case scenario. we have to run a run without a driver. so delaying the route for an hour until we can get a driver to cover that route," he said.

That means students get to school an hour late, which has already happened several times this semester, McCormick said.

But it's difficult to keep supply drivers around due to the lack of hours, he said.

"We've had drivers come on board and you may lose them the following year, or they may go out west, or they may go to a call centre," he said.

Gaston Savoie, a bus driver in the district for 10 years, agrees.

"It's cause when spare drivers are coming in, they don't have the hours. If they want to work, that's cause they need money and if the hours are not there, that's why there are looking for something else."