The crisis threatens to derail efforts to get schools up and running after recent shutdowns.

Medowie mother Natalie Broadfoot is among those parents who are keeping her sons home after their afternoon school bus from Irrawang High was cancelled last week.

"I received a message at 1.30pm to say the bus had been cancelled. My husband was forced to leave work at Kooragang Island to pick them up," she said.

"No one will give me a guarantee that if I send my kids to school they will be able to get home. The school just keeps saying to contact the bus company.

"It's terrible for children to have to miss out on education but they need to be provided with safe and reliable transportation."

A Branxton parent, who did not wish to be named, said he received a call at 4.15pm to collect his 14-year-old daughter following the sudden cancellation of the school bus.

"I was lucky enough to get time off work but what if it was someone who worked at Muswellbrook who was an hour and a half away," he said.

"This is a rural bus run; it travels about 25 kilometers. Luckily we live in an area where kids have mobile phones to contact their parents."

The parent said his efforts to speak with the bus company were diverted to Service NSW.

MPs across the region have been inundated with complaints from angry parents and frustrated schools regarding the situation.

Port Stephens MP Kate Washington said the cancellation of school buses in her electorate was compounding pre-existing problems caused by the lack of a public high school in Medowie.

"Our schools are doing everything they can in very difficult circumstances, but the NSW government isn't doing enough to make sure school buses are running," she said.

"Students and families should have confidence that their bus will turn up - right now, that's not the case."

Hunter Valley Buses, one of the largest providers of school bus services, operates 3158 trips a week.

The company confirmed it had been forced to cancel more than 80 school bus services since the start of the school year due to the impact of COVID.

"Our priority is to maintain the highest safety standards for our staff and customers while continuing to provide reliable and consistent services as timetabled," a spokesman said.

"Whenever a trip is cancelled, we prioritise school services and provide replacement services where possible to reduce the overall impact on customers.

"We inform customers of any service cancellations as soon as possible, so they can make alternative arrangements for their journeys.

"Hunter Valley Buses is actively recruiting drivers throughout the year and have increased the recruitment intake to provide additional coverage and reduce potential impacts on customers."

Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the government was not doing enough to attract new drivers.

"What is Transport for NSW doing to address driver shortages. Other states are doing driver attraction programs - free training for driver guides in the tourism industry - packages worth up to $7,000 which are not being offered to NSW potential bus drivers. Also other states allow bus drivers to start their public passenger accreditation before the age of 21 which is the age in NSW. What does a kid in year 12 who wants to be a bus driver do for three years until they are old enough to be a bus driver," she said.

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