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The SFHS Crier

The news site of St. Francis High School

The SFHS Crier

The news site of St. Francis High School

The SFHS Crier

Budget cuts mean longer bus routes

Budget cuts mean longer bus routes

A hot topic among students this year is new bus routes and earlier pick-up times. Many students have complained about overcrowding and longer bus rides.

An average bus has a maximum capacity of around 72 passengers. That’s three people per one seat.

“They combined my friend Stephen and my bus routes,” said freshman Levi Ross. “It is so crowded now.”

Overcrowding isn’t the only complaint that St. Francis students have.

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“I used to be picked up at 6:30 every morning,” said sophomore Kalley Christopherson, “but now I’m picked up at 5:59 instead.”

It seems that earlier pick up times and overcrowding go hand in hand. It is only logical that the larger the number of people to pick up, the longer it will take to pick them up. With drop off time set at the high school at 7:05 am, the only way to extend the amount of time a bus has to pick up its passengers is earlier in the morning. By doing this students, will wake up earlier to sit on a longer, more cramped bus ride, an uncomfortable situation for everybody.

“The busses are a little tighter because we are watching our miles and budget this year,” explains Program Supervisor, Dean Krause.

Krause explains that the number of students riding a bus depends on how many actually decide to catch it. Therefore some routes are more crowded than others.

With the help of a computer program called Versatrans, Krause designs routes to pick up registered students everyday. The number of students that take the bus to school can range anywhere between 50 and 70.

The idea of running fewer buses if possible is a well thought out solution. With the tough economic times and gas prices on the rise, sticking to budget and even saving money is an issue being talked about not only in the transportation department, but also all over the world.

“The busses are overfilled, but I still have fun,” said sophomore Alex Atkins.

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