CSISD school leaders say transportation flow will improve

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Many College Station ISD parents say not even hours into the school year, it wasn’t off to a great start. That’s because they couldn’t even get some of the kids to school to start the day.

Joseph Alfe, a father of two CSISD students says after his daughters waited 40 minutes at the bus stop, they had to figure something out.

“I have 13-year-old daughters, now, who are stranded at their bus stop along with all their friends. My wife works from home, so she was able to go get them after sitting around for 40 minutes. Then they get marked tardy,” he said. “So it’s just a big hassle, but it’s also a safety issue because what about parents that aren’t home, they’re at a job and now their kid is stranded at a street corner somewhere.”

On Tuesday evening, just before the first day of school, Superintendent Tim Harkrider did a live interview with KBTX where he addressed that this could be a problem come day one. But, he said transportation woes should work themselves out after the first week. Wednesday, all but one CSISD bus finished their routes early.

A statement from district spokesperson, Austin Dunson, says changes to routes contributed to some later buses that first day and want people to be prepared for increased traffic over the next few days.

During the first few days of school, we experienced some delays in our bus routes due to the anticipated back-to-school traffic in the area. Additionally, we encountered instances where buses were full because students who had not yet registered for transportation needed a ride to school. In response, our transportation department added extra routes to accommodate these students, which may have caused delays for students getting home.

It is important for parents to register their students for transportation so we can account for every student who needs a ride. Please note that after parents register, it may take a day or two for them to receive their student’s route information via our new parent app, Stopfinder.

It is also important to note that CSISD Board Policy CNA(Legal) details that the District receives funding for transportation for regular eligible students who live more than two miles from their school. Therefore, if students live within a two-mile radius of their school, we do not provide a bus route for them (exceptions are made for hazardous areas, special education and homeless students).

We want to commend our transportation department for making quick adjustments and being responsive to parents’ questions and concerns. Parents can expect pick-up and drop-off times to become more consistent in the next week or so, but should also be aware that we are anticipating traffic to increase as college students return next week. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our students, parents, and community as we make these necessary adjustments to ensure a smooth transportation experience for everyone.

If parents have questions or concerns about their student’s bus route, they can contact our transportation department at 979-764-5440. For more information about bus registration, Stopfinder and our transportation department, visit csisd.org/bus.