Bus routes reflect neighborhood changes
Each year, bus routes in the Butler School District change with the fluctuating sizes of neighborhoods.
When people move and the population changes, the bus routes also change.
Brenda Collins compiles the bus routes in the transportation office for the district. With about 7,000 students riding buses each day, there are 120 buses running 390 bus routes throughout the district daily.
"Basically, the routes we normally have we continue with each year unless there are changes in population in certain areas," Collins said. "There are so many different circumstances that go into routing."
The more students in a neighborhood or area, the shorter the route.
"It just depends on where they are located," Collins said. "There are so many variables."
Roxanne Wehr of Valley Lines said the job of the bus company, which works for the Butler district, is to run the routes it is given from the district.
"For us, part of the problem is our drivers are the ones the parents see, so they ask if it can be changed and the drivers are not allowed to make those changes," Wehr said. "Sometimes parents think the driver is not working with them, but it is between the parents and the school district."
Wehr said if a parent wants to change where a student is picked up or dropped off, the district has a change request form that can be filled out and reviewed.
"The district takes our input as to what the safety coordinator or bus driver feels about it," Wehr said. "They gather information from other sources and make the decision. A lot of the drivers want to please, and that's a part of every one of our startup meetings — don't make changes — it's between the school district and the parent."
Collins said many parents want their child picked up or dropped off right at their driveway, which is not always possible.
"What they don't understand is that students can walk a lot farther than they think by state regulations," Collins said. "If it's a legitimate request and due to traffic safety, we make those changes."
Elementary students can walk up to 1Z\x miles to a bus stop under state regulations, while secondary students can walk up to two miles.
Each year, the transportation office receives 20 to 40 change request forms, but changes cannot be made all year. Collins said the cutoff is usually at the end of October.
Collins also said a key to creating the bus routes means sticking to the rules. Parents cannot choose two or three days for their child to ride the bus. They are required to ride five days a week or none at all.
She said complications also arise for couples with split custody, but there still can be only one drop-off or pickup location.
"A lot of people get upset with us, but we get that request constantly," Collins said. "It's just not the driver's responsibility. With the number of students we transport, it would be too hard to manage."
Elementary and secondary students ride different buses because school dismissal times are different.
