Watch: Transportation Update Video
With the goal of delivering students safely to school on time, the Douglas County School System will be implementing consolidated bus stops for the upcoming school year. Students in a neighborhood or area will gather at one specified location for pick-up and will be dropped off at the same location.
The decision to implement consolidated bus stops was made after a committee of parents and school system personnel participated in a series of meetings to discuss options for improving on-time performance for bus transportation.
The committee first met in January 2020 and was led by Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kwame Carr and Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Pam Nail. Garry Puetz, a student transportation director for 23 years in Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Forsyth Counties, served as facilitator for the meetings and presented information outlining transportation goals, challenges, current performance data and the performance of the Douglas County School System compared to surrounding counties. Committee members recommended implementation of consolidated bus stops and staggered school start times to solve the problem of on-time performance.
“We know that many parents are accustomed to door-to-door service for the school bus, and we are happy we have been able to offer that level of service in the past, but we have to become more efficient with consolidated bus stops,” said Transportation Director E.W. Tolbert. “I ask for patience and understanding from our parents as we transition to this new model for transportation.”
Consolidated bus stops have already been in use to some degree at the middle and high school levels, but until this year, most elementary students were picked up in front of their home or close by. With the new plan, parents will need to walk or drive their children to the bus stop and supervise them until they step onto the bus.
The advantages of consolidated bus stops include:
More efficient service and on-time arrival at school
A higher level of safety by locating stops in visible locations that don’t require the bus to back up
Consistent times for pick-up and drop-off because routes will not have to be reconfigured every time a new student enrolls in school
Being considerate of drivers in the county. In the past, people driving a car behind a bus have had to stop at multiple driveways on a short stretch of road.
More accurate arrival time information on the “Here Comes the Bus” app
Parents of students who ride the bus to school may check their bus stop online. Please click the school bus icon at the bottom of the home page or click here.
In addition, parents are encouraged to download the “Here Comes the Bus” app which delivers real-time bus location information and alerts to parents and students. Parents may find information on “Here Comes the Bus” in the transportation section of the website under departments or click here. The district code for the app is 79003.
Parents who have questions or concerns about their assigned bus stop may reach out to the transportation department at Email Here comes the bus.
Parents are reminded that they are responsible for the safety and well-being of their children until they step onto the school bus. Depending upon the age and maturity level of the child and the environment surrounding the bus stop, parents must determine the proper level of supervision for their child.
The Douglas County School System is the 17th largest school district in Georgia with 26,600 students and 3,200 full-time employees. Approximately 15,000 students ride the bus to and from school every day. Douglas County School System’s 328 buses run more than 500 routes and average over 12,000 miles daily.