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Bus shortages and routing problems disrupt Manchester fall sports; two JV games canceled
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Summary
Committee members and district staff discussed repeated bus shortages, charter scheduling under a seniority-based CBA, and multi-stop routing that delayed a cross-country meet; staff said two JV games were canceled this season because buses were not available until after 4 p.m.
Transportation staff and the athletic director told the special committee that charter and driver shortages have already affected fall sports schedules.
A transportation representative described the district’s charter process, saying charters are offered by seniority under the collective bargaining agreement and that the district currently confirms charters day by day. "We are putting out the charter runs... and by that I mean... we go to the most senior person because that's the way the CBA is written," the representative said. Staff recommended moving to weekly charter runs to improve reliability.
Christine and transportation staff described specific operational failures. A district speaker said the district "expected a flat nose, which has 88 seats, for about 66 passengers. The 88 seat was not available because it was still running for the district, and another bus was taken." Christine also said, "We've had to cancel 2 games. 2 JV games had to be canceled because we couldn't get buses until after 04:00." Committee members asked how often this occurred; staff said they knew of two cancellations so far this season.
A parent and committee member recounted a cross-country meet where athletes were picked up at about 1:50 p.m. but did not reach Concord until about 3:40 p.m., leaving little time to warm up. The delay stemmed from combined-team routing (Memorial → Central → West), traffic and overloaded buses. The parent said arriving late made athletes feel "embarrassed" at the meet. Staff acknowledged multi-stop pickups and recommended tightening routing, improving real-time communication with coaches and relying on SportsU notifications where possible.
Members and staff discussed whether coaches could drive smaller vehicles as a short-term fix. Transportation and legal/staff said state licensing rules and the CBA limit who may legally drive certain vehicles; Courtney (a staffer who knows state rules) will be invited to the next meeting to explain exemptions and licensing requirements. The district also reported a recent MOU with drivers that provides some operational flexibility, but licensing remains a constraint.
Committee direction: staff to explore weekly charter scheduling, review routing and communication processes (including SportsU usage), and invite the state-licensing expert to brief the committee at the next meeting.
(Reporting note: some people in the transcript are identified only by role or first name; the transcript does not provide full surnames for all speakers.)
