FULTON COUNTY, GA — Students in Fulton County Schools saw changes to some bus routes Monday as the district rolled out updates for the start of the new school year.
District officials say staff spent the summer reviewing all 637 bus routes to improve efficiency.
“We look at who’s actually riding, and then we also look at making sure the path we’re taking is the most efficient,” Jennifer Knapp with Fulton County Schools said.
The district says most bus stop locations remain the same, but some routes have been consolidated and students may have been assigned to a different bus.
“Most bus stops have not changed, if your stop is at the neighborhood entrance that stop will remain the same, but they may have a different bus passing there that should pick those students up,” Knapp said.
Knapp says some buses that previously served neighborhoods in sequence may now pick up additional neighborhoods nearby.
“So where they used to pick up these three neighborhoods in a row, they may still pick up those three neighborhoods but they’re also picking up two neighborhoods around the corner,” Knapp said.
The district says the changes are intended to maximize efficiency and get students to school at least 10 minutes before the morning bell.
The route changes also include work-arounds in the City of Milton because of a weight restriction on Thompson Road Bridge. Public Works Director Sara Leaders says the Georgia Department of Transportation placed a 10-ton weight limit on the bridge in March.
“I believe around 14 tons is the weight limit for a bridge that school buses can come across,” Leaders said.
Leaders say the city has hired an engineering consultant to evaluate the bridge and determine what improvements could allow it to support more weight.
“These revised routes are intended to minimize the impact to the student pick up and drop off times as much as possible given this bridge restriction,” Leaders said.
Parents can continue tracking their children’s buses using the free “Here Comes the Bus” app.
WSB Radio’s Jonathan O’Brien contributed to this story.