WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — In the morning before school starts, Richard Chamberlain finds his bus, goes through his list of safety checks and hits the road to pick up students along his route.
"Overall, it's very enjoyable," Chamberlain said. "Very satisfying."
He started driving in April last year because he wanted to help with the bus driver shortage in Clark County.
"I'm thankful to be able to do it," he said. "I'm glad they put up with me and trained me and now I'm part of a team."
It took about four months to get his CDL license and to be trained for the job. As a part-time sub, he could be driving one of 20-30 routes in Clark County on any given day for students K-12. Therefore, he is given a route sheet that has addresses he needs to stop at along the way to help him navigate.
The job is quite a departure from his career as an OB/GYN. He delivered more than 10,000 babies over his 35 years as a doctor before retiring in 2019.
"When you're practicing as a doctor, you're actually serving people," Dr. Chamberlain said. "And then, I wasn't serving as much and so this gives me an opportunity to serve because the true joy in life is actually serving. When you serve people that's when you get true joy and happiness in life."
"I think it empowers the community," Clark County Schools district and community relations coordinator, Sylan Mayes, said. "I think Dr. Chamberlain is selfless for doing this. I think it sets the tone for how we want to — as a district — look at our community and how we give back."
Anyone interested in applying to be a bus driver in Clark County can do so here.
