Long School Bus Rides, Driver Shortage Plaguing Tredyffrin-Easttown Schools

BERWYN, PA — The parent of a New Eagle Elementary School student raised concerns about excessive bus ride times, telling the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board that the trips can add hours to students' days.

Beth Dempsey said her family lives 1½ miles away from her 7-year-old son's school. But the second-grader's bus drops him off up to 90 minutes after school is dismissed — as late as 5:15 p.m.

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In the morning, his bus pickup is scheduled for 40 minutes before class. Dempsey said the school district's bus driver shortage can turn a 6½-hour school day into a 9-hour commitment for local children.

"No elementary student should take more than an hour to get home," Dempsey said at Monday's meeting. "It's unacceptable."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District (TESD) has faced a bus driver shortage. That means some buses make multiple trips, and some of the planned bus routes that could help shorten times don't have drivers to complete them, officials said.

The district's contracted bus company, which is in charge of recruiting, doesn't think staffing will ever reach pre-pandemic levels, said TESD Business Manager Arthur J. McDonnell.

"It's gotten a little bit better, but we don't ever see it going back to pre-COVID and neither do they at this point," McDonnell said.

The average bus ride time for all TESD students is 23 minutes, and the average bus run is under 45 minutes. McDonnell said that the district is considering pulling stops off some of the middle school bus routes so they can pick up elementary school students earlier.

TESD's elementary schools dismiss later in the day than the upper-level schools. So many drivers are completing bus runs for other district schools before bringing elementary students home.

Dempsey fears the bussing situation could get worse next school year, when the district plans to launch full-day kindergarten and open the newly constructed Bear Hill Elementary School.

"If you're unable to get a 7-year-old home in under an hour," Dempsey said, "that definitely won't work for a 5-year-old."

Watch the School Board meeting below: