District partners with MEVA for middle‑school late bus to youth center

School Committee members described a new local transportation partnership that allows North Andover Middle School students to ride a MEVA bus at about 2:30 p.m. and 3:05 p.m. to a stop near the town youth center. The initiative, presented Sept. 25, was organized collaboratively with MEVA, the youth center and district staff; the superintendent said the service costs the district nothing.

Chair and committee members hailed the partnership as a way to give students safe, supervised access to after‑school activities and to teach them how to use public transit. The district noted that transportation staff will coordinate stops and that youth center staff will meet the students at the stop. Committee members said riders would board at the middle school; the district characterized the service as an effective substitute for a “late bus” and said it should reduce barriers for students seeking after‑school programming.

The committee recorded no formal vote in public minutes for this operational arrangement; district leaders said the arrangement is already in place and would be monitored for usage and scheduling impacts on other public routes.