District to change transportation for 2022-2023 school year

Busses+depart+from+Algonquin+in+accordance+with+the+existing+route.

CJ Bourbeau

Busses depart from Algonquin in accordance with the existing route.

Amelia Sinclair, Assistant News Editor
June 13, 2022

The Northborough-Southborough District announced May 16 that starting in the fall of the 2022-2023 school year there will be significant changes to ARHS’s transportation system.

The district partnered with school bus consultant Transpar in order to maximize bussing efficiency. Transpar evaluated the areas requiring improvement in the new delayed bus schedule and presented this feedback to the schools. Based on this feedback the district has reached a conclusion on how to best utilize the bussing system.

The district announced the hiring of Linda McGrath as Transportation and Registration Specialist, to fill the role of recently-retired Jean Pinto.

“[I hope to] always try and maintain routes that are safe and structured and that the total time students spend on the bus is reduced whenever possible to improve the overall experience,” McGrath said via email. “Having consistent and dependable bus routes is always the goal of my work.

The district will be reducing bus stops upon Transpar recommendation. Bus stops will be consolidated in neighborhoods in which it would not impact the safety of students. Impacted students and families will receive communication from the school.

“We wanted to improve efficiency and maximize resources,” McGrath said via email.  “We knew that adjustments would be needed after year 1 of the New Start Time configuration. We learned a lot from year one and utilized the expertise of our drivers to help make the system work better.”

The afternoon bus route for Northborough students will now be separated between Melican Middle School and ARHS. Half of the buses will report to each school. This change means that students will likely have different buses for the morning and afternoon routes.

The district is urging students to sign up for bussing transportation for next school year. Families have already been contacted with a form to fill out by June 1 in order to participate in bussing. After completing the form families will receive individualized communication with their bus number and bus stop.