Driver Shortage Prompts Red Clay To Change Bus Schedules, School Start Times

In an effort to improve bus transportation service throughout Red Clay, the district will reorganize its bus routes and move to a three-tier school schedule in the fall of 2018.

High school and middle school students will no longer be picked up at the same time. The new three-tier system reduces by more than 50, the number of drivers needed to cover all routes.

This will address a critical, nationwide bus driver shortage, reduce the amount of time many students spend on the bus (see charts below with sample times), and free up personnel to provide additional bus aides on routes, according to district officials.

In order to implement these service improvements, school start times will need to be shifted. Changes include:

• The high school instructional day will start approximately 5‐10 minutes earlier, at 7:25 a.m.
• The middle school instructional day will start approximately 30 minutes later, at 8:05 a.m.
• The elementary school instructional day will start approximately 10 minutes later, at 9 a.m.

Officials said schools will make every effort to keep drop off and car rider lines times the same. The district is expected to share additional details over the summer.

“Our transportation department worked very hard this past year to try and provide reliable bus service while facing the worst driver shortage in history,” said Superintendent Merv Daugherty. “Unfortunately, we don’t believe those efforts solved the problem. We are not happy with the status quo, so we are making some needed adjustments in school start times. The center of this plan will be the outstanding men and women driving our buses every day.”

Below are charts showing how the new system may impact the typical Red Clay student.

Officials advise parents to look for the summer transportation letter for your child’s bus stop and time.

If you have any questions or concerns, you’re asked to call call the Office of Communications at 302-552-3716.