Board weighs ‘opt-out’ for routine daily bus service to reduce stops and improve efficiency
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Summary
District leaders discussed allowing families to opt out of routine morning and/or afternoon bus routes to reduce empty stops, improve on-time performance and lower vehicle wear; the board asked staff to develop an opt-out plan for the next school year.
The West Seneca board discussed a district transportation change on April 8 that would allow families to opt out of routine daily bus service so the district can avoid routing students who never use the bus and reduce unnecessary stops.
Superintendent Dr. Cervone and Transportation Supervisor Jennifer Jones explained that the district currently routes every student for transportation whether the family uses it, which creates routes that sometimes include stops where no student boards. The proposed opt-out would let families tell the district they do not need morning and/or afternoon daily transportation; staff said the change could let routing software shrink the number of stops, reduce idling and brake wear, and improve bus on-time performance, particularly across the district’s multi-tier routing system.
Board members supported further study. Several members noted practical details that staff would need to address including: allowing families to re-enroll (opt back in) when circumstances change, handling short-notice requests (staff indicated changes could generally be processed in two to three days), ensuring after-school activity or athletic bus service remains available, and maintaining an emergency plan to deploy buses when needed. Dr. Cervone said the opt-out would be anticipated as an annual choice and could be managed per student (for example, a family could opt out for a high-school student but remain routed for younger students).
Transportation staff and the board agreed to pursue a pilot communication and logistics plan: staff will draft an opt-out form (likely a Google form or similar) that allows families to choose morning, afternoon or both; clarify re-enrollment timelines; and share the plan with families before the end of the school year so routing can be adjusted over the summer.
No formal vote was taken and the change was not implemented at the meeting. Board members asked staff to return with a recommended procedure and communication materials.
