Almost every student who receives school bus transportation from Columbus City Schools — including charter and nonpublic school students — will likely get a new bus driver, new times for pick-up and drop-off times and possibly a new bus stop location, according to the district.
As a result, Columbus City, the state's largest school district with about 47,000 students, is going to be dropping the AlphaRoute software which was used at the start of the school year and going back to the Versatrans software which was previously used by the district. AlphaRoute, a Waltham, Massachusetts, company, could not be reached for comment Monday evening. The company says on its website its award-winning software uses algorithm technology developed out of MIT research"to help districts create safe and efficient bus routes, while saving money and alleviating driver shortages."
As of Oct. 4, Columbus City Schools reported that it had 681 routes and 535 school drivers for nearly 38,000 students needing transportation — a figure that includes its students as well as charter and nonpublic school students, causing them to double and triple up on routes.as of Oct. 10. The district’s bus drivers are paid $20.48 per hour and receive a $1,000 retention bonus twice a year, Jacqueline Bryant, Columbus City Schools spokesperson.As of Oct.
“CCS cannot mandate changes to the start/end times for charter/nonpublic schools, but we will continue to ask these schools to consider adjusting their bell schedules to better match driver availability,” the district said.