As you may be aware, we continue to operate under a severe bus driver shortage. Although we have a new licensed driver and an additional trainee joining us in two weeks, we will still be 8-10 drivers short of being fully staffed. Hard to believe, but we are better staffed now than we have been.
We know that transportation needs are a vital part of getting our students and athletes safely to and from school and away games. We are doing our best to continuously have bus routes running routinely and have not canceled any games this season. The Transportation Department has made hard choices in order to get our students where they need to go, and when they need to get there. Here are just some things behind the scenes making our district’s transportation run smoothly.
- Shuttling Elementary runs to ensure that every sports team gets to their destination (shuttling means that one driver brings one bus route home and then returns to school to transport a second bus route home).
Combine sports runs in lieu of canceling away games. This means two or more teams (with their coaches) are transported to the same or different school districts for their competitions.
Every member of the transportation department, including mechanics, dispatchers, and the director, drives to fill in the empty driver seats.
Initiated the new Stopfinder app to better inform families of the location and timelines for their child’s arrival home.
Our number one priority is the safety of all passengers on our buses. These are some of the things our district is working on to alleviate some of the obstacles that have been affected by our severe bus driver shortage.
Buses thus far, although sometimes crowded, have not surpassed legal capacities.
The athletic director has been kept apprised of the complexity of our current situation and is working with coaches to ensure buses to events are coordinated in advance.
We have continued to train drivers to improve their communication with dispatch.
We are investigating turning on the GPS for at least the buses that currently have them and are looking into installing them on those that don't.
We will communicate with families on an ongoing basis about our shortages and remediation plans.
We will consider adding additional contracted runs to help ease the pressure on our current driving force (the cost for each would be $60-$100K per year).
We will continue to actively recruit drivers.
We know some of our bus routes are lengthy with students riding for long periods of time. If your family is no longer using the District’s bus service please let our Transportation Department know. This will alleviate the amount of stops a driver must make during each route. If you would like to return to using transportation services again please let us know we’ll resume pick-ups for your students.
If you have any questions about your student’s transportation please use the Who to Contact and When guide located on the second page of the District’s wall Calendar. This guide was created to help ensure that questions and concerns from our community are addressed in the most efficient and effective manner possible. It outlines who you should contact first for information in a particular area, as well as the next steps if your concern is not addressed. We also encourage families to download the Stopfinder app where you can receive notifications and updates related to your student’s transportation, school closing/delays, scheduled day off reminders, and more. Right through the app, you can also send private messages to Ravena Coeymans Selkirk CSD Transportation Department.
If you are interested, we are always looking for qualified drivers. Find out more here.