Late buses, missed stops – these are some of the usual challenges at the beginning of a new school year, Hamilton County Schools officials say, but this year there is the added challenge of working with a new transportation vendor.
First Student Inc. is now providing bus service for more than 22,000 students in Hamilton County this year, after the school board ended its contract with Durham School Services at the end of the 2018-19 school year.
But with a new provider, new buses and new routes, there can be some speed bumps, said Tim Hensley, spokesman for the district.
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For questions or concerns about bus stops or routes, call Hamilton County Schools’ Transportation Department Hotline at 423-498-5555 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“There are some extra challenges that we have this year,” Hensley said. “Just because you’re instituting several new things at one time: a new provider, some new drivers that aren’t the same as last year, changing the bus software.”