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Pioneer Drive parents urge North Allegheny to restore or add bus stop after consolidation
Summary
Multiple parents told the board that consolidation of elementary bus stops concentrated 20–25 children at a single stop on Pioneer Drive, creating safety risks; they asked the district to add one looped stop, saying it would add minimal time and no additional drivers or buses.
Four parents from the Pioneer Drive neighborhood addressed the board during public comment on Oct. 22, urging the district to reverse or modify a recent consolidation of elementary bus stops that they say has created unsafe conditions.
Jackie Love, who identified her address and said she has four children in the district, told the board she and other parents have observed close calls at the consolidated stop and asked the administration to “reevaluate the decision to remove all the Pioneer bus stops.” She said the request would not require additional routes, drivers or buses and argued the change ‘‘costs the district absolutely nothing.’’
Sameen (Naveen) Kumar said the consolidation reduced stops in the community from multiple locations to three, leaving one stop that now serves 20–25 students and produces frequent parent drop-offs and congestion. He urged the board to add one additional stop or a short loop that would split the group and said the loop would add roughly two minutes to the route.
Charan Masarapu recounted a close-call incident his wife experienced when children ran into the street after getting off the consolidated bus stop; he said the additional loop would take two minutes and would materially reduce pedestrian risk for elementary students. Pradeep Indupanti, who said he is the parent of a boy involved in the reported incident, asked what data supported eliminating seven bus stops in the neighborhood and what additional costs the district would incur to add one stop.
Speakers asked how parents districtwide were engaged in the consolidation decision and called for a more surgical approach rather than a district-wide change. Presenters and board members acknowledged the comments; the administration did not give an immediate commitment to reinstate a stop during the meeting.
The district had previously discussed a consolidation aimed at reducing student time on buses and increasing route efficiency; parents said that benefit has not materialized in their neighborhood because students now spend more time walking to a single stop and face unsafe traffic conditions at peak drop-off times. No formal vote or action on routing changes occurred at the meeting.
