Across USD 497, kids stand in the biting cold of winter as buses continue to be delayed by staff shortages and longer route preparation.
According to Lawrence’s bus company, First Student, they are using a special-ordered winter fuel of 70% diesel and 30% kerosene so that the buses are easier to start. However, sophomore Olive Eisiminger said that her bus still arrives inconsistently.
“One time it didn’t show up at all [and] there’s times where it’ll be super early,” Eisiminger said.
Eisiminger said her mom drives her down to the bus stop on extremely cold days, but she said a lot of kids do not have that luxury. She said that the middle schoolers waiting for late buses concern her.
“They’re just sitting out there and they don’t know what to do,” Eisiminger said. “There’s no way they can contact their parents half the time, especially if the bus is so late that the parents have already left.”
Eisiminger said that students can’t always get rides from their parents, but they also don’t want to be left standing in the harsh weather. Michael Moore, driver of bus 37, said that he understands the parents’ struggle to help their kids.
“I wouldn’t want to send my kid out in it,” Moore said. “I have a daughter and I don’t send her out sometimes because…it’s just too cold.”
Parents are able to download the First View mobile app in order to track the buses and receive notifications for delays of more than 10 minutes. Sophomore Benjamin Florence said that the app is too complicated to use.
“There should be a quicker signal, such as a text message,” Florence said. “[The app] really doesn’t give that good of up-to-date info.”
Meanwhile, First Student said that the First View app functions well and includes customer support. First Student said family use is key to ensuring efficient communication and that their focus has been on increasing participation; over 40% of known riders are being tracked in the app by a parent. Moore said that recently communicated problems, such as the hour delay on Jan. 23, are contributed to by driver shortages.
Eisiminger said that she has seen the impacts of these shortages at her stop as the buses arrive later and later. She also said that her family’s morning routines are made more complicated when they have to take them to school because of the added commute time.
“Having little siblings is a big component, because they have to get to the school…and you’re trying to get through the traffic of people trying to get to work,” Eisiminger said.
USD 497 Director of Administrative Services Shaun Hanson said that school would not immediately be canceled if transportation services are significantly impacted because district leadership would evaluate factors like student safety, the number of routes affected and road conditions. Eisiminger said she doesn’t understand why they would have school when students are unable to get there. She said that these kids go through the intense heat, cold, rain and wind throughout the entire school year.
“It’s Kansas, so it’s windy. We’re gonna fly away like Dorothy,” Eisiminger said. “Where are my ruby red slippers?”
