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Driver shortages prompt route consolidations, district says 197,000 miles logged so far
Summary
District transportation staff reported two drivers retiring and one resigning, eliminated three routes and warned of additional consolidations; a switch to GPS data shows about 197,000 miles logged so far this year across buses and vans.
Gravette School District transportation staff told the board they have eliminated three routes because ridership has declined and driver availability is strained, and they may combine additional runs to maintain service.
"We have 1 of our ridership has gone down... it's come down probably 70 students when we pulled the data in February," the transportation presenter said, explaining that the district removed two regular routes and one spare route and is considering further consolidation where necessary.
Staff said two drivers are retiring and one has resigned, reducing the pool of available drivers for regular and overnight trips. The presenter said GPS-based mileage accounting shows the district's vehicles have already traveled approximately 197,000 miles this school year between buses, Suburbans and vans.
Officials said they are using routing software to adjust areas and that the system pushes messages to families when routes change. Trustee questions focused on rider time reporting, the shift from fuel-based mileage estimates to GPS, and the operational tradeoffs of merging routes in areas with new subdivisions.
No formal action was required; the board asked staff to continue monitoring ridership trends and staffing and to report back with refined routing and staffing options.
