Robbinsdale Schools Says Busing Issues Resolved, All Routes Staffed
Another school year begins Sept. 6 and parents in the Robbinsdale School District are hoping they don’t have to experience the same busing issues they had to deal with last year.
A shortage of bus drivers the first month of the 2021-2022 school year forced more than 1,500 students to find alternate modes of transportation.
The situation left a number of parents frustrated.
“Sometimes, the bus wouldn’t show up and I’d get text messages at 8:30, ‘we’re sorry to inform you that your bus isn’t showing up today,'” said Katie Struve, a parent in the district. “Well, I already knew that because school already started and the bus didn’t show.”
Struve has three children in Robbinsdale Area Schools. Last year, her family had to deal with the challenges resulting from the bus driver shortage.
But with a new school year on the horizon, the district has told families that it has enough drivers to staff all routes and provide busing to school activities.
Durham School Services, which provides transportation for Robbinsdale Area Schools, has held hiring events this summer to find school bus drivers.
The district also believes there’s enough staff hired to cover routes when a driver is out sick or has to take an extended leave.
Robbinsdale Area Schools encourage families to download the Durham Bus Tracker App to track buses and receive messages on any potential delays.
Below is the full transportation update sent out to families in Robbinsdale Area Schools:
Dear Robbinsdale Area Schools families,
Our Transportation Department has been working hard to ensure students have reliable school bus transportation to and from school this year.
I am happy to report that we currently have drivers to staff all transportation routes and busing to school activities. In addition, we believe we have hired enough staff to be able to cover our routes if our drivers call out sick or need to take extended leaves.
Families should have received transportation postcards in the mail the week of August 22. Please check your students’ busing information in the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus for the most up to date information.
Remember: if your home or daycare address has changed, please contact the Enrollment office.
With the changes to school start times this year, we have adjusted bus stop times accordingly. Please make sure your student is at the bus stop five minutes before their scheduled pickup time. Please make backup plans in case your student misses their bus.
At the start of the school year, school buses tend to run a slightly behind schedule as we adjust to new routes. You can download the free Durham Bus Tracker app to view routes and scheduled stops, see messages related to route delays and track buses.
The bus tracker app is available in the Apple app store and in Google play. Families can also access the Durham Bus Tracker from a computer at m.durhambustracker.com.
After you have downloaded the app, create an account and log in to track your student’s bus. Please note, you will need your student’s ID number when creating your account. This can be found in your parent portal. For more information, visit https://www.rdale.org/discover/transportation.
If you have transportation-related questions, contact our Transportation Department at Transportation@rdale.org.
Thank you,
Jeff Connell
Executive Director of Facilities, Operations, and Transportation
Robbinsdale Area Schools
Related: Robbinsdale Schools to Offer Bus Opt-Out Option to Solve Transportation Woes
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