St. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) – The St. Landry Parish School system has about 167 school bus routes.

With those bus routes come concerned parents.

“This year we are pretty much going through an overhaul in transportation. Probably the biggest overhaul the parish has ever seen.  Parents were panicking and grandparents were panicking.  We wanted to be able to give them a direct means of contacting us,” says Milton Batiste, transportation supervisor for the St. Landry Parish School District.

So the transportation department came up with the idea of setting up a direct line for parents to call and get the answers they need.

Batiste says office staff schedules have been adjusted to help make sure someone is in to take the calls.

“My bus is late.  I’m unsure about a stop.  Sometimes there’s overcrowding.  There are just a plethora of issues and we will address them as they call,” Batiste says.

Batiste says he’s noticed the difference the direct line has made in helping parents.

He adds that the transportation department is also looking to hire substitute drivers.

“Drivers get sick, they get ill and they have family emergencies.  We look to have people to be able to fill those voids,” Batiste explains.

To be hired as a substitute school bus driver applicants must have a CDL with a school bus and driver endorsement.

The pay is $79 per day for possibly an hour or so in the morning and in the afternoon.

“I think it’s great because it allows you to do that and you can still have your entire day to do different things throughout the course of the day,” Batiste says.