by Stacy Jacobson
sjacobson@abcnews4.com
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) -- Charleston County bus driver Lucy Shaw gets an early start every day. She makes $12 an hour to drive her route, which amounts to about $200 a week, with no benefits, she said.
"I don't understand how we are suppose to survive," she said.
Students bring her back to the driver's seat every day, she said.
"I love driving. The kids are awesome. They depend on us. The school, the faculty, everyone -- they depend on us to get the kids here safely," she said.
But every day she questions whether she can deliver students safely.
"Most of the time we don't know if our buses are going to crank. We have a lot of mechanical failures going on with the buses as well," she said.
She said the schools are a community and drivers are a part of it.
"We are equally as important as teachers. We are part of the school system. Even though Durham is a private company, we still deserve some respect," she said.
