West County Transportation reports staffing and ridership improvements, details electric-bus plan amid complaints about late special-education routes

West County Transportation officials updated the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Education on Sept. 10 on staffing, ridership, vehicle electrification plans and budget pressures, while acknowledging ongoing service issues for some special-education students.

"We have had a net increase of 11 drivers in one year," West County director Chad Barksdale told trustees as he reviewed route counts and staffing. He reported the agency currently operates 35 general-education buses and a mix of vans and smaller ambulatory vehicles; overall agency on-bus staff stands at about 168, up from 159 last year, and six drivers were in training.

Barksdale said special-education ridership rose to roughly 960 students agency-wide last year and currently stands near 554 Santa Rosa City Schools students; the agency expects that number to approach 1,000 by the end of the school year. He also noted general-education bus pass participation increased dramatically from about 55 last year to roughly 630 this year, a factor the agency is working to better document.

On electrification, West County said it is moving to purchase seven small ambulatory electric buses and install seven 65-kilowatt DC fast chargers; the chargers are expected to be completed in June 2026. The agency reported it has an infrastructure reimbursement award of about $603,000 from a regional air-quality agency but is still awaiting a contract for a larger state or federal zero-emission school bus grant (the presentation referenced a CARB/HVIP-style process). Barksdale cautioned that electric-bus ranges now are typically advertised at about 140 miles under ideal conditions, and that operating patterns and charging infrastructure will affect effective range.

Board members pushed on operational impacts. Several trustees and a teacher who commented from the public record described repeated late arrivals for special-education routes. Catherine Howe, speaking for a Comstock Middle School teacher unable to attend, said parents reported buses that were late or did not come at all and cited one wheelchair-dependent student dropped off daily after classes began. "Last year, West County transportation was finally more fully staffed, and kids were arriving on time most of the year. However, this year the general ed buses and special ed buses have been sporadically late and affected many students for days on end," Howe said.

Barksdale acknowledged the start-of-year staffing and routing adjustments and said the agency tracks driver reports and makes routing changes; he said six trainees are in service and should relieve open routes as they complete certification, noting certification training can take two to four months. "Those first couple weeks, we're working out kinks so that we can get to school on time," he said. He promised to follow up on specific missing-route complaints.

Trustees pressed the agency on charging infrastructure and warranty issues for electric buses. Barksdale and West County staff said manufacturers and grant administrators anticipate fast charging; that will accelerate battery degradation somewhat but manufacturers structure warranties (including multi-year battery warranties) around expected operational patterns. He also said grid capacity at the agency's yard is near maximum; adding additional chargers would likely require a new line and transformer work by the utility, and the agency is exploring alternative sites.

No formal board action was required for the update, but trustees directed staff and the superintendent to follow up on specific late-route complaints and to return with more detailed ridership, routing and cost analyses of proposed boundary or service changes.