The overview
Presented by Bill Harrison, NEISD executive director of transportation, the adjustments are designed to create more efficient bus routes, add additional stops and improve on-time arrival rates.
The proposed changes involve adjusting the bell times for elementary, middle and high schools by five minutes each.
Time adjustments will:
- Create more efficient bus routing
- Allow for additional bus stops
- Potentially eliminate three morning and two afternoon routes
- Improve on-time arrival rates
Additionally, the Northeast Alternative Center’s bell time schedule will be adjusted to match the high school’s schedule of 8:55 a.m.-4:20 p.m. Harrison said this adjustment will allow the transportation department to use buses assigned to NEAC for two additional routes instead of one. It will also allow coaches to assist in transporting students with district shuttle buses.
“[Adjusting the schedule] will be a good opportunity for coaches to be able to help us drive the NEAC shuttles,” Harrison said.
What else?
On top of adjusting the bell schedules, Harrison said the routing transportation team also recommended eliminating the middle and high schools bus stops inside gated communities. This would eliminate a little more than 100 bus stops, and cut route schedules by roughly six-15 minutes.
“Eliminating stops inside the gated communities [will reduce] time spent inside these communities [and] allow our buses to take on additional stops,” Harrison said.
Harrison noted that by removing stops in gated communities, the district will be able to consolidate routes—ending three routes in the morning and two in the afternoon—and improve arrival times.
By the numbers
Harrison said implementing these strategies will allow the district to save the district roughly $84,000 in transportation costs.
Harrison also noted that his department’s long-term goal is to reduce afternoon bus routes from 217 to 210 and morning routes from 211 to 200, which will save the district even more money in transportation costs, such as maintenance, fuel and wages.
The backstory
Harrison said work on creating more efficient bus routes dates back to the Dec. 9 board of trustees meeting, where the efficiency committee recommended consolidating three campuses and streamlining bus routes by reviewing campus start times and stop locations.
Since that meeting, the transportation routing team met five times in January and February. In those meetings,the team reviewed multiple scenarios, developed recommendations and bus stop location changes.
Stay tuned
Harrison said the transportation department will implement a comprehensive approach to notifying parents of route changes. This includes using NEISD’s Smart Tag system, sending direct notifications to bus riders, providing updated route information online and having principals share districtwide communications with students’ families.
