SHARONVILLE, Ohio — The school bus driver strike in Princeton City Schools is stretching into its second week, with nearly 6,000 students still without their regular rides to class. Drivers represented by OAPSE/AFSCME Local 184 walked off the job Oct. 1 after contract talks with private transportation contractor First Student broke down in a Sept. 29 bargaining session.
At the heart of the dispute are wages and benefits. Drivers say their pay is unlivable and that years of shrinking benefits have left many without employer-paid health insurance, forcing them to rely on Medicaid, Medicare or marketplace plans. Union leaders say the short staffing and double routes have only made the job harder. First Student, meanwhile, says it is deeply disappointed by the strike and disputes the union’s account, noting its latest proposal included an average wage increase of about 27 percent over a four-year contract.
The district has activated a contingency plan while talks continue. Princeton has arranged some limited alternate vendor routes and says UTS will keep running its existing Princeton routes, though officials warn a full fleet cannot be restored immediately. Families who have not been contacted directly by the district’s transportation team are being asked to get their students to school on their own.
To keep learning on track, the district has rolled out academic continuity measures including online assignments, paper packets and extended drop-off and pick-up windows. The roots of the conflict go back to 2014, when the district outsourced its bus operations to First Student; veteran drivers say the workforce has since shrunk from about 70 drivers to roughly 35. Mediation between the company and the union remains active, and both sides are expected back at the bargaining table.
