K-12 students who ride the school bus have more than likely experienced service interruptions due to the school bus driver shortage. The current driver shortage promotes underpinnings influencing student education today. With more than 26 million students dependent on school buses, the path to replenishing the nation's school bus driver faction will be long and complicated. This study aimed to explore approaches to reducing the effects of the school bus driver shortage. This study aimed to investigate potential contributing factors that influenced the shortage by examining the phenomenological experiences of present school bus drivers and administrative personnel. Let it be known that this study does not seek to solve the nation's school bus driver shortage. However, it provides steadfast data highlighting several details shaping student transportation. The data from this study was obtained through questionnaires completed by those acting in the capacity of a school bus driver. In addition, the data was formulated by answering the research questions. The theoretical frameworks for this study were Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory and Herzberg's two-factor theory, which are based on driver (dis)satisfaction and factors influencing driver motivation. The findings of this study revealed themes that directly correlated to driver salary, student behavior, and a sense of belonging. Job satisfaction as the framework captures each theme as a central focus. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]