District officials say cutting a single bus saves about $80,000 but ride-time rules limit consolidation

Southington School District transportation leaders told the school board the district is near the limit for route consolidation and that any further reductions could lengthen student ride times or create service gaps.

"Students are only allowed to be on the bus ... 35 minutes," transportation director Mister Romano said, explaining high-school routing and the town's 200 miles of roads make further cuts difficult. Romano said the district has already consolidated routes in recent reallocation cycles but that drivers and route-duration limits often dictate practical minimums.

When asked about cost savings from removing individual buses, Romano and board members provided a working estimate: eliminating one bus route would save approximately $80,000 per year from the general transportation line (district figure cited near $2.8 million), excluding special-education and athletic runs. "Basically eliminating 1 bus route or 1 bus would save the district approximately $80,000," a board member summarized.

Board members asked for ridership counts and parental drop-off data to identify where buses are underutilized; Romano said the district performs bus counts in October and again in April to capture seasonal ridership changes. He also described past opt-out trials (about 5% participation) and said opt-in or targeted communication might produce different results but families often fear opting out if their circumstances later change.

Contract terms: Romano said the district is in year 1 of a 3-year transportation contract with no firm minimum or maximum number of buses; the district sets the annual fleet and pays according to routes and service delivered.

Next steps: board members requested route-level ridership data, a retroactive review of consolidation impacts, and clearer cost breakouts from the transportation line to evaluate further options.