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Parents urge board to address long UPK/elementary bus rides; district promises audit and follow‑up
Summary
Multiple parents told the board UPK and elementary students have morning rides up to about 90 minutes; the superintendent and trustees said they are conducting a bus audit, have added runs where needed and will continue communication with contractor Fisher Bus.
Parents and board members raised concerns about lengthy bus rides for very young students during the public‑comment portion of the Hamburg Central School District meeting.
“My daughter is scheduled to be on the bus for just under an hour and a half in the morning and about 50 minutes in the afternoon,” said Chris Padura, a parent with a child in the UPK program. “For a 4‑year‑old, I think that’s excessive.”
Emily Gerken told trustees that her children are riding roughly an hour in the afternoon and about 35 minutes in the morning from a house 1.5 miles from the school. She said attempts to reach the contractor, Fisher Bus, had been unsuccessful and asked whether families should send children on buses to document ride times or continue driving them for the children’s wellbeing.
The superintendent and trustees acknowledged the complaints and described immediate steps. District staff said they had already added a third bus on a Potter Road run where ridership reached 94 students for a route that would otherwise have exceeded recommended vehicle loads; administrators noted guidelines the district uses informally — for young children a guideline of about 66 per run and roughly 44 for older students — and said they will continue monitoring and adjust runs where necessary.
“We will be getting in contact with Fisher each day and we will be getting in contact with you,” the superintendent said, pledging follow‑up. He confirmed the district is conducting a bus audit intended to collect ridership and run‑time data and to consider both number of students and time‑on‑bus when recommending adjustments.
Board members urged families to pursue whatever protects their children’s wellbeing while the audit proceeds and said middle‑ and central‑office staff will be the point of contact for parents who need assistance.
What happens next: the district will continue its daily communications with Fisher Bus, carry out the bus audit the board described and return to trustees with findings and any recommended changes to routes or runs.
