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August 5,
2009—Not only is school bus transportation the safest way
for students to travel to and from school, but under a plan
to increase shared bus routes among neighboring districts,
it will continue to become less expensive and more
efficient.
This summer, superintendents, transportation supervisors and
special education committee chairpersons from Berne-Knox-Westerlo,
Cobleskill-Richmondville, Duanesburg, Middleburgh, Schoharie
and Sharon Springs met to discuss opportunities to increase
shared transportation services. Although not present at the
meeting, the Schalmont Central School District is also
involved in this endeavor.
Together, these school officials examined the feasibility of
ride-sharing between districts, specifically for students
traveling to vocational schools, private schools and special
needs programs—some of which are located up to 50 miles
outside of a student’s home district.
To help identify possible cooperative routes, the group
discussed their routing schedules, drop-off locations,
designated pick-up areas and operating schedules.
“By opening the lines of communication now we can begin
coordinating bus routes with neighboring
schools—significantly reducing transportation costs in all
of our districts,” said Duanesburg Central School District
Superintendent Christine Crowley.
Savings could be realized for fuel, overtime costs and wear
and tear on vehicles. It would also give participating
districts more flexibility with their bus fleets.
In Duanesburg, approximately 48 students will require
transportation to 20 different locations outside of the
district next year.
“It’s very expensive for us to transport students
considering our limited number of buses, distance from many
of the sites and unpredictable spikes in gas prices,” said
Crowley. “We began ride-sharing as much as possible last
year to cut costs and would like to see it continue again
this year.”
Among the viable shared routes expected to continue next
year is one between the Schalmont and Duanesburg school
districts. Duanesburg students are picked up at a designated
spot by a Schalmont bus that is en route to the BOCES Career
and Technical School in Schoharie, which is much more
efficient than sending two buses from both schools to the
exact same location at approximately the same time.
Coordinating shared schedules
Coordinating schedules and timing the arrival and dismissal
time at more than 20 different locations is a complicated
process according to Duanesburg’s Head Bus Driver Pegi
Venter.
“It’s a big jigsaw puzzle—I’m just trying to find the
straight edges right now,” she said.
Venter has been working diligently during her limited summer
hours to establish shared runs—staying in close touch with
district transportation personnel to determine how best they
can help each other.
“We have to accommodate a variety of student needs—all while
making sure students are picked up at a reasonable time,
arrive at school on time and spend as little time on the bus
as possible,” Venter explained.
As the shared routes are developed, districts must also pay
close attention to individual requirements for students with
special needs.
For example, a student may require a teacher’s aide to help
them off the bus, so it’s crucial that the bus arrive within
the allotted time period, otherwise the child risks being
late to class. Unfortunately, some districts may not have
this information available until just before the school year
starts, which makes coordinating bus runs especially
challenging for transportation departments.
Buses could be late for a variety of reasons—heavy traffic,
an accident or a child becoming ill on the way into school.
Additionally, the amount of time it takes for a student to
get on and off the bus is an estimate and can vary greatly
depending on a student’s disability.
“It would be helpful to have a longer window to drop
students off at schools in the event that any of these
scenarios occurs,” said Venter. “But we do our best to
adjust schedules to accommodate any issues that may arise
throughout the year.”
Although the ride-sharing concept has gained favor, there
are times when it makes more sense for districts’ buses to
travel separately. For example, Berne-Knox-Westerlo is
located too far from Duanesburg to make sharing
transportation into Albany beneficial.
“While this is certainly an evolving process, there is no
doubt that everyone is committed to helping each other out
as much as possible,” said Crowley.
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