Burrillville committee approves DATCO bus routes after discussion on efficiency and ride times

After a lengthy discussion about routing efficiency and student ride times, the Burrillville School Committee voted to approve DATCO's proposed bus routes for the 2025'1 school year while directing administrators to monitor ridership and make adjustments.

Committee members said the routes in the packet were estimates and acknowledged the contractor had been asked to eliminate one bus earlier in the review process. The chair noted the committee requested that DATCO provide a more in-depth study to redistribute students and improve route efficiency. "We did ask STACO to eliminate a bus," the chair said, and the committee asked administrators to identify which bus was removed and how the affected students were redistributed.

Members raised safety and logistical concerns: one member pointed out a route listing nearly 1 hour 57 minutes in total run time and asked that the committee consider how long children would be on buses. Committee members also discussed bus capacity (the largest bus noted as a 77-seater) and the typical number of stops per run (roughly 27). Several members recommended using registration forms or a parent survey to confirm who plans to ride, noting that accurate ridership data would drive future adjustments. Administrators said the district collects ride intent during registration and that routes will be tweaked during the early weeks of school; the committee set an expectation to re-evaluate after the Oct. 1 ridership snapshot.

A motion to approve the routes was made, seconded and carried by voice vote. The committee emphasized that routes are expected to be adjusted in the first weeks of school based on actual boarding and that administrators will return with findings if significant changes are needed.