The board of Rochester’s public bus service on Tuesday authorized the transportation of some 3,500 students to and from city schools as a way to alleviate pressure on the Rochester City School District caused by a school bus driver shortage.
But the four-month plan will force changes to Regional Transit Service routes, according to the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, the body that oversees the bus service
Specifically, the frequency of stops on some RTS routes will change from 15 minutes to 30 minutes, according to the authority. The 15-minute service is a trademark of the recently-unveiled “Reimagine RTS” redesign. Â
“Our customer satisfaction, we do expect to take a hit,” RGRTA Chief Executive Officer Bill Carpenter said. “The number one aspect of the system redesign that customers liked was the frequency they liked the consistency they liked that it does the same thing, seven days a week.”
He said the additional service will also result in lost customer revenue. Carpenter told the board they’ll have a better idea what impact that will be at its next meeting in October.
Board Chair Don Jeffries added that while the school district’s problems will be fixed, RTS will inherit a transit problem.
The Rochester City School Board met Tuesday night to go over the details. It appears the RTS buses will be ready to transport additional high school students as of Monday, Sept. 13.
Students who cannot get to school when the academic year begins this Thursday will be able to take classes virtually, if they can’t find another way to get to school.
RTS had long transported Rochester public school students, but lost the work in its most recent contract.
Alex Crichton is a reporter and host for WXXI News, a media partner of CITY.
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2021.
