Replacement school buses arrive

Posted Friday, July 20, 2007

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On Wednesday, July 11, staff from the Chatham County Schools Transportation Department traveled to High Point to pick up seven new yellow school buses that will replace older buses in the district fleet. Five of the buses are Freightliner and two are International.

The state determines the rotation cycle and which buses are sidelined in a certain year. Earlier in the spring, staff had picked up two additional new school buses. School districts can elect to purchase additional buses with local funds as well. Chatham County Schools purchased the two International buses to accommodate anticipated growth in the student population, which is currently at 7,600. Of this number, 3,778 students ride yellow school buses each day. Additionally, over fifty pre-k children ride yellow school buses as part of district pre-k programs.

Chatham County Schools is currently planning to run ninety-six bus routes throughout the 707 square miles of the county as the new school year begins on August 27. The district also has over twenty-five activity buses that the Transportation Department maintains. During the 2006-2007 school year, school buses traveled 1,192,035 miles across district routes. Activity buses were used for sporting events and field trips and traveled 117,006 miles during the last school year.

Along with the bus fleet, the Chatham County Schools Transportation Department maintains all service vehicles and establishes bus routes. Transportation staff sponsors an annual bus safety program for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students that utilizes Buster the Bus. The department will hold its yearly bus driver orientation on the morning of Wednesday, August 22, at Northwood High School. Safety training exercises and state updates are focuses of the meeting. Prior to the first morning of school, each bus driver will also drive his or her route to check for appropriate turnaround locations, safe student pickups, and to become familiar with the route and the bus itself.

Anyone interested in becoming a bus driver for Chatham County Schools or who is an employee needing the Commercial Driver's License (CDL) can take a bus driver course at the central office in Pittsboro on August 13-15 from 8:30-3:00 p.m. To register, call Allison Farrish at the Transportation Department (919-542-2715).