FLAGSTAFF — Thursday was a day of many firsts in the high country. It was the first snowfall in the new year, the first day back for Flagstaff students and the first time some of those students are going through new bus transportation cuts.
More Flagstaff parents drove their kids to and from school on the first snowy day back from Winter Break.
Melinda Bishop’s daughter is among the 600 who signed up for bus transportation and can no longer ride the yellow school bus to school.
“It’s an inconvenience, but I believe safety is the most important,” she said.
Flagstaff Unified had to cut transportation routes, announcing the new changes before winter break. High schoolers who live within city limits, and middle and high schoolers who attend a school that is not their neighborhood school, can no longer ride the school bus.
Other alternatives would include driving or taking the Mountain Line city bus, which the district is providing free passes for.
“I’m just not comfortable with that. She’s 13. I know other kids do it and other families do that, but I’m choosing not to,” Bishop said.
The changes happened quickly in the fall semester of the school. The district said the Department of Public Safety received a complaint about overcrowding on the bus, which both the superintendent and transportation director admitted to students being in aisles on some buses and routes. The result of overcrowding, though, comes from the lack of bus drivers and a nationwide shortage.
Patrick Fleming, the district’s transportation director, said they’ve been trying to hire and find other alternatives. He previously told ABC15 that they wanted to wait until the end of the school year to make the changes but couldn’t, saying that DPS wanted them to make changes sooner than later.
DPS tells ABC15 they did not tell the district to cut or alter routes. Instead, the state agency met with FUSD to “ensure they understand the regulations they are required to follow.”
“The Arizona Department of Public Safety works closely with school districts around the state to ensure school bus safety. The Department has a Student Transportation Unit dedicated to providing guidance to school districts to help them maintain a safe student bussing system that implements best practices based on current state guidelines. Each vehicle used for student transportation has a manufacturer’s rating for the maximum number of occupants, and a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). Per Arizona Administrative Code 13-13- 104D section 5, 'All passengers shall sit with their backs against the seat backs, their legs facing towards the front of the school bus, and all parts of their bodies clear of all aisles whenever the school bus is in motion.' Section 6 states, 'A school bus driver shall not transport in a school bus more passengers than the rated capacity stated by the school bus manufacturer.'”
The number of students that can occupy one seat depends on the age of the students to maintain clear aisles for emergency evacuation. However, regardless of the age of the students, the total number of occupants should not exceed the manufacturer’s occupant rating or the GVRW.
On October 6, 2023, DPS received a concern from a Flagstaff Unified School District employee about overcrowding on the buses.
The DPS Student Transportation unit contacted the FUSD on October 9, 2023, to report the issue to FUSD leadership and has had three subsequent contacts with them to help provide guidance. The FUSD has been responsive in making efforts to address this issue to ensure the safety of Flagstaff area students.”
On Thursday afternoon, Fleming said the first day with the new bus changes, in addition to the snow, it went smoother than “we were worried it would go.”
“I think we expect more parents make that decision to use Mountain Line now that they saw how day one went. We expect to see, or I at least expect to see a few more parents take advantage of Mountain Line,” he said.
Fleming added that nearly 200 students of those 600 affected requested city bus passes.
While Fleming says operations went smoothly for the most part, Alexandria Maurer, a Flagstaff teacher and a parent who is also affected by the changes, believes the plan was poorly planned and timed.
“I have noticed specific faces missing, students that I know had ridden the bus previously and didn’t show up today,” Maurer said.
ABC15 could not verify whether or not those students missed school because of the bus. ABC15 did reach out to the district for the absenteeism rates of those whose routes were cut.
As the months go on with the new changes, the district has a committee that meets monthly to figure out transportation logistics for the next school year as they try to hire more drivers.
