MANOR -- The Armstrong School District is using a new transportation software system to make sure students arrive on time for the first day of classes Monday.
Administrators and staff, along with the bus contractors, have worked for a year to ensure that bus stops and bus routes have been established according to 911 addresses in the district, said transportation director Chuck Pepper.
"We have been fielding various concerns from parents and revisions have been made according to student transfers and families who are new or have moved," Pepper said. "We will continue to make adjustments as we receive calls to make sure that every student has the correct bus stop and the correct bus to take them to school."
One of the features of the software system is to help maximize efficiency with bus routes and to help cut transportation costs. Double runs have increased, allowing the same buses to be used for secondary and elementary students, Pepper said.
Another change in busing was the implementation of a shuttle bus system to transport students in the Elderton attendance area to West Shamokin High School.
Smith Bus Co., which handles routes for West Shamokin, worked with the district to create a system of six shuttle buses to pick up about 90 students living in areas south of Route 422, in Plumcreek and South Bend townships, and take them to the former Elderton High School, where they will board two full-size buses for transport to West Shamokin, Pepper said.
"We expect to have a few issues during the first weeks of school and we will try to resolve issues as soon as they are brought to our attention, Pepper said. "We will look at each issue on a case-by-case basis and work to find the best solution to the problems."
Parents with questions or problems with bus stops or routes can contact Pepper at 724-763-5214.
