Changes coming to school bus routes

The elimination, reduction or consolidation of pre-existing routes will yield a total savings of 26,000 miles per year, director of transportation Paul Morgan reported to superintendent Doug Tredway at the Monday, October 27 meeting. Morgan also estimated a total cost savings of more than $20,000 per year. “Just by being more efficient and tightening our belts a little bit, we’ve increased cost savings,” Morgan said. “I think we are running lean, we are running efficient.” Overall, the number of routes throughout the district remained the same; however, certain routes are now driven by individuals without commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs. A variety of smaller vehicles such as mini-buses, Suburbans, or pick-up trucks have replaced school buses in order to allow for the hiring of additional non-CDL drivers. “Anything over 15 passengers requires a CDL. Smaller vehicles seat fewer than 15, so all you need is a driver’s license,” Morgan said. The only difference between a non-CDL and CDL driver, Morgan specified, is that the CDL individual possesses a commercial license. Both groups of drivers undergo extensive training and background checks. This year, two standard buses were replaced by mini-buses to service areas with low ridership numbers. In Skyland, for instance, parents were unhappy with how crowded the standard buses became once they reached their neighborhood, so employing a mini-bus was a no-brainer. “The mini-bus goes to Skyland and picks up about 10 kids, at maximum it can hold 14. So that little run is perfect for what it was designed to do,” Morgan said. “The families that were affected are happy, and it was a simple solution.” This also solved the issue of finding drivers with CDLs in the Crested Butte area. Of the three Crested Butte standard bus drivers, only one is both local and equipped with a CDL. The remaining two commute from Gunnison to service CDL routes. Two families commuting from Crested Butte South to Gunnison were also affected by the recent bus route edits. Previously there was a bus stop on Highway 135 at mile marker 19, providing parents with a convenient drop-off point for their children. Changes implemented by Morgan now require those children to catch the bus in Almont, a measure that saved the district 36 miles a day. Transportation services are not mandated by the state of Colorado, so the responsibility of organizing bus routes falls upon the district. In terms of geography, the Gunnison Watershed School District is the second largest in the state, so figuring out the logistics of transportation is a “big job,” Tredway said. In his position as director of transportation, Morgan is committed to establishing a safe and efficient system that services all of the district’s needs. “I operate the department with a premise that it is a privilege to ride the bus. It is not mandated by the state. It is a privilege,” Morgan said. For more information on current bus routes, please visit gunnisonschools.net.