District, vendor say routing issues have eased; 'routes are estimates' cautioned

Middleborough school and transportation officials told the committee they have largely addressed early issues with bus routing and asked families for patience as routing continues to be refined.

Mr Benson (district transportation lead) and Five Star representative Terry Carvalo outlined the routing process: planning begins in spring, an electronic "rollover" of student records constrains routing work until mid‑July to mid‑August, routes are generated by software and are therefore estimates, and drivers run dry‑runs before student pickup. "We put a Proviso on our website that these are estimates only," the presenters said, explaining why posted times sometimes differ from actual pickup windows.

Officials said complaints dropped sharply after the first two weeks of school and that most routes have been adjusted to improve timeliness. They noted that moving students, summer enrollments and road construction can force changes after routes are published. The district plans to provide clearer early‑August communications to families that explain when routes will be released, how to report problems and whether to contact the school or the vendor as a first step.

Committee members recommended a clearer escalation path in future communications (who families should contact first and what response times to expect). District staff identified steps to better capture whether families intend to use transportation next year to help routing efficiency.