Although some high school bus riders may moan and groan because of the decreased amount of space on the buses, it is fair to say that the reduction was rightly justified. A few student complaints is a small price to pay for a more efficient system.
In the first place, the bus reduction was long foreseen. In fact, the bus cuts were not entirely because of the school budget, but also due to the addition of the new Fifth Grade Center.
“The opening of the Fifth Grade Center absolutely required the district to take a fresh look at transportation at all grade levels,” Susan Dielmann, Director of Communications for the Ladue School District, said. “It was simply not practical, from a cost or logistical standpoint, to simply add buses to transport fifth grade students and leave all other bus routes intact.”
The Ladue School District has even considered how overcrowded the buses might get. Since the beginning of the school year, the district has added two bus routes.
“Two bus routes have been added in order to alleviate overcrowding, and timing issues,” Dielmann said. “Minor adjustments in bus routes will continue to be made over the next few weeks.”
Other than students, there are others that might be affected by the new bus system such as bus drivers. The affect on bus drivers was also very small.
“Bus drivers are accustomed to being assigned different routes in different school years for various reasons,” Dielmann said. “As a result, the impact on bus drivers has been minimal.”
The issue of bus safety also comes up when dealing with overcrowded students in a moving vehicle. Obviously, the school district knows that student safety is a major priority and has done what they can to maintain high standards.
“All safety codes and guidelines are strictly adhered to by the Ladue School District and our safety record is excellent,” Dielmann said. “Maximum ridership guidelines have been, and will continue to be, strictly followed and we do not anticipate additional safety issues as a result of any changes in bus routes.”
