Subscription Bus Service February 2018
Background Information Types of Transportation � Mandated Busing : The state of New Jersey requires busing of students who live more than 2.0 miles from their elementary or middle school and more than 2.5 miles to their public secondary school. � Courtesy Busing : A district may chose to provide busing to students who live closer to the school than the state requirements. When the district opened the Mary Kay McMillin Early Childhood Center they made a decision to offer courtesy busing to students at the school. � Subscription Busing : Since Berkeley Heights does not provide courtesy busing to the elementary or middle school, a subscription plan is being considered for those who do not qualify for mandated busing. 2
Background Information § Developed and conducted a survey of parents to assess their interest. Over 300 families responded with interest for 200 students. § Researched ways of implementing subscription busing. § Met with an ad hoc committee of the board for their comments and suggestions. Their recommendation was to move forward with the program. 3
Background Information � From the responses, the following information was obtained. In response to the question regarding interest in subscription busing, there were 153 positive responses, which results in potentially 200 students using subscription busing. School Number of Interested Students Columbia Middle School 100 Thomas P Hughes 57 Mountain Park 16 Woodruff 17 4
Background Information § Analyzed current routes to identify availability. On the current routes, the availability is as follows: Route Projected Seats Available CMS 1 19 CMS 2 20 CMS 4 31 CMS 5 0 Hughes 0 Woodruff 4 11 Woodruff 5 14 Mountain Park 27 5
Where we are § Developed a communications plan, a FAQ document and an application process and timeline. § Identified the costs of implementing a subscription busing program, including soft and hard costs. § Established parameters for the program. § Presenting this information to the Board for their consideration. 6
Program Parameters § Commitment to ensuring there is no change to the arrival time for the buses at MKM in the PM. § Continue with commitment to provide GL athletics with 2 buses at the end of each day. § Majority of stops will be within .25 mile of the student’s home. § Routes will be approximately 30-35 minutes in length. § Subscription bus service will be for the entire school year. § Service will be round trip for home to school transportation only. 7
How we will proceed § Applications will be available on the District Website. § A non-refundable deposit of $150 will be due with the application. § A parent meeting will be held to discuss the program after applications are received. § The service will be budget neutral. Final costs will be determined once students are assigned to buses. The significant factors impacting the costs include contracting additional buses and the number of students interested in the service. The estimated range is $700 - $850. 8
How we will proceed § Routes will be designed to accommodate as many students as possible while adding a minimal amount of time to the route. § The initial goal is to fill the open seats on the current routes. § If there are enough students interested in busing to one school, the district will consider adding an additional route. 9
Anticipated Timeline § The application period will run from March 1 through March 16. § Parents will be notified if a seat is available prior to June 1. § Specific information regarding bus stop locations and times will be sent in late August. 10
QUESTIONS?????? 11
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