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Richmond reports shorter bus rides, more drivers and new monitors as school year progresses
Summary
Transportation officials said average ride times are improving, driver staffing has increased and the district added monitors to reduce on-bus discipline issues and support safer runs.
Richmond Community Schools transportation staff reported measurable improvement in bus operations at the Sept. 24 board meeting, saying average ride times have dropped, driver numbers have risen and the district has added monitors to support drivers.
Director of Operations (Mr. Jones) and transportation staff said district-wide average one-way ride times are about 52 minutes in the morning and 51 minutes in the afternoon, down from higher averages last year. The team said fewer than 30 students now have one-way rides of an hour or more across the district, a marked improvement compared with the prior year.
Transportation staff reported 26 full-time drivers this year compared with 20 at the same point last year, plus seven substitute drivers and two drivers in training (one testing Oct. 2). The district has also added more than 14 bus monitors to help manage behavior on buses, an addition transportation staff said has reduced discipline incidents and assisted drivers.
Officials and board members praised drivers, mechanics and monitors for their work and urged parents to use the district’s parent communications tools (K12/Minor K12 app and ParentSquare) to receive delay notices; transportation staff said the district generally notifies parents when runs are more than five minutes late.
The transportation team said work continues on staffing, routing and on-time performance, and encouraged community members to visit the bus garage to observe operations if they wish.
