Transportation Services has eliminated more than two dozen routes as part of an ongoing comprehensive review of bus ridership at 15 select schools. 

The review is focused on schools with low ridership, despite having a high volume of students who are eligible for transportation and have been assigned routes. Reviews have been completed at nine schools, with the remaining six to be finished before the end of the year.  

The department has cut 25 routes since the start of the review, bringing the overall number of routes down to 775 — a five percent decrease.  

Transportation Services General Manager John Wilcots IV said the ridership review helps to reduce the number of new bus drivers needed to operate routes, which helps the department as they face a critical bus driver shortage.  

“We are seeing on-time arrivals increase as we consolidate routes with low ridership,” Wilcots said. 

As part of the review, Transportation Services staff is communicating with school officials, parents, and bus drivers at these select campuses to confirm the need for bus service. Students who do not need transportation are then formally withdrawn from the system, allowing the unused stops to be deleted.  

The work allows the department to increase its efficiency and streamline operations for the current school year, as well as better project routes for the 2020-2021 school year.