Taking the bus to school has never been convenient. However, in recent years, it has become extremely difficult for students to locate their bus or even be able to get to school on time due to shortages and miscommunication with Stamford Public Schools. For this reason, SPS has to find a better way to handle the hassle of taking the bus to school.

Everyone who takes the school bus knows the pain and how dreadful it is to have to wake up early in the morning just to catch your bus. Not to mention how cold the weather gets during the winter. Also, school bus companies tend to run short on school bus drivers and school buses itself. How do I know? Well, let me tell you a story. 

I was waiting for my school bus on a typical Monday morning. It was the first day of school back after the holidays and I usually go to the bus stop five to ten minutes before it arrives. To my surprise, the bus that I usually ride drove past me. Since certain stops are assigned with different bus numbers, I was wondering why it didn’t stop at its designated bus stop. I panicked, called my parents, and immediately booked an Uber since I didn’t want to be late and miss the first period. The moment I booked an Uber, another school bus arrived. It was irritating on my part since I also had to pay for the cancellation fee for my Uber since I already rode the bus. It continued on for a couple more days, eventually going back to normal. The school principal, at the least, could have made announcements about school buses being late due to the shortage of drivers or disseminated through the emails of the parents or guardians. 

Imagine how hard it is for students like us to take the school bus. We become used to seeing the same bus number pick us up every day, then all of a sudden the bus number changes. And for me, I share a stop with people from another school. 

It also is insane to think that these school buses don’t pick kids up within a two mile radius from the school. These kids are forced to walk two miles in freezing 10 degree weather. Can you imagine these kids suffering when these buses could’ve just added another stop on their trip? 

During dismissal, buses take different routes when going home and going to school, so they combine those buses with stops in proximity with each other. They also combine buses when certain bus numbers and drivers don’t show up. This is very stressful, as the buses leave at a certain time, which makes it easy for students to miss their bus. 

To be fair, school buses are more convenient than commuting or walking to school. The school bus provides free transportation for students whose parents can’t drive them due to circumstances. Yet, school buses are a hassle such that you can’t find your bus after school, the bus passes you in the morning, or that school activities don’t allow you to go home exactly at 2:05. 

Overall, as the school bus system becomes more confusing with the shortage of drivers and buses, they should make an announcement for the students responsible for picking up students on these routes. It would also help that the board would talk about the budget for the drivers and the buses. In compensation for the shortage, SPS should start hiring more drivers in the event of other drivers having to call out of work.