Alachua County school eliminating 'courtesy routes' to help with bus driver shortage

Lillian Lawson, Gainesville Sun
·3 min read

Alachua County Public Schools is changing its transportation system to account for the widespread and continued shortage of school bus drivers, officials announced.

Effective Jan. 8, the district will no longer offer "courtesy" routes for students, with the exception of those attending highest-need elementary schools. It is also revising rules for magnet and choice transportation.

Currently, the district has about 1,200 students who use courtesy routes, which pick up and drop off students who live within a 2-mile radius of their zoned school. The change won't affect Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students.

The routes require 16 buses and cost the district $1.8 million annually without any reimbursement from the state, the district said in a news release, which further puts a strain on the transportation system.

District officials say they hope the revised transportation system will increase on-time arrivals and departures, reduce the number of tardy and non-arriving buses, and use public funds more effectively. Since the new school year began, the district has experienced late routes, in some cases dropping students off an hour later than expected.

The changes are estimated to save the district between $750,000 and $1.4 million a year.

Alachua County School students board a school bus off NW 24th Blvd. in Gainesville, Fla. on the morning of October 8, 2019.
Alachua County School students board a school bus off NW 24th Blvd. in Gainesville, Fla. on the morning of October 8, 2019.

With the elimination, the district won't eliminate any employees but instead bridge the gap between the lack of drivers and routes, reducing the existing driver shortfall. As of the first day of school, the district had 17 routes without a driver.

Instead of courtesy busing, parents may request transportation for students if their appointed route meets hazardous walking conditions. These conditions, some of which include walkways parallel and perpendicular to hazardous or heavy traffic roads, are defined by state statute and apply to public school students in grades K-6 only.

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Magnet and choice routes

Other changes could impact up to 1,600 students attending magnet and choice programs at schools they are not zoned for. The district currently runs 26 magnet and choice buses, which costs another $1.8 million.

The current stops where buses pick these students up will be updated, increasing efficiency and reducing the number of buses needed to transport magnet and choice students, the district's news release said.The district is exploring other options to improve the transportation system and its efficiency, a main priority including recruiting new and retaining existing drivers. It suggested school times may also be adjusted in the coming years to reduce bus delays and comply with a new Florida law on school starting times.

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Transportation changes will be presented at the Sept. 20 school board workshop, though the board doesn't vote on routes.

The district said it will release more information, such as specific details for each rider group, soon. Information on the how courtesy riders with hazardous walking conditions can apply for a bus pickup will also be provided to parents at a later date.

For more information, parents and guardians can visit www.sbac.edu/transportation.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County school district cuts bus routes due to driver shortage