In the Driver’s Seat

Waiting for a bus to finally fold in its blinking stop sign can get long for the lowly passenger cars intent on continuing their commute. Yet from high atop the brown vinyl school bus seats, one can sense a begrudging reverence for these Rulers of the Road as they haul their precious cargo back home after a long day at school, as we discovered when we recently joined Rabbi Yanky Robinson, executive director of Lakewood’s Nachlas Bais Yaakov for a bus ride around town.

But why would the suit-and-tie-clad Rabbi Robinson, whose primary obligations include overseeing the admissions process and fundraising for his fledgling school — choose to spend a good chunk of his day ensconced in the driver’s seat of a school bus traversing Lakewood’s labyrinth of streets? We bumped up and down with Rabbi Robinson as he dropped off talmidos of Nachlas Bais Yaakov after a long day in school, while he filled us in on his latest adventure — and explained why he hopes other parents will join him for the ride.

Driven Away

“Simply put, there’s a bus driver shortage here now,” Rabbi Robinson says as he maneuvers the bus onto a wide, tree-lined boulevard. The shortage he’s referring to is affecting school districts, parents, and students across America. As schools reopened for in-person learning after their Covid closures, districts suddenly had to contend with a challenge they hadn’t seen coming: They couldn’t get the kids to school. Parking lots full of yellow school buses, eager to move after an unexpected two-year sabbatical, were left driverless.