LOUISVILLE, Ky. — With less than two weeks until the start of school in Jefferson County, bus drivers are taking advantage of this time to learn their new routes. Jefferson County Public Schools bus driver Gaynell Harris is among those preparing for the upcoming school year.

What You Need To Know

  • JCPS bus drivers are preparing for the new school year by learning new routes

  • Last year, significant busing issues led to some students getting home very late, prompting district-wide class cancellations

  • This year, JCPS has implemented a new transportation plan with shorter routes and extended preparation time for drivers

  • The district will begin school August 8

Harris has driven for JCPS for the last 12 years and said Friday is her fourth day learning this year’s routes. She takes her job to heart and is always nervous leading up to the new year.

“It’s always like that for me because I just want to make sure that I am up, have everything ready to go, that I’ll be on time for work, that I remember all my stops,” Harris explained.

Last school year began with significant busing issues for the district, which saw some kids not get home until after 9 p.m. Classes were then canceled district-wide while problems were sorted out.

In April, JCPS cut transportation to nearly all magnet and traditional schools, eliminating buses for around 16,000 students.

Harris believes this year’s transportation plan is rock solid.

“I like it. It’s better than it was last year,” Harris said.

The district’s Executive Transportation Services Administrator Marcus Dobbs echoes that positive sentiment, believing JCPS is ready to serve its students on day one.

“We started on the routes as soon as the board made the decision what the plan was going to be for this year, and we’ve had a routing team in place and they’ve had their hand in developing the routes,” Dobbs said.

Dobbs stated drivers will get roughly ten days to drive their routes, about twice as long as was allotted last year. He adds routes are also shorter and closer to their respective bus depots.

As for what will happen regarding transportation when contracted TARC drivers come on, that is not certain yet.

“We don’t know yet how that’s going to boil out. That’s a decision to be determined later by the board, depends upon how that impacts what the number of drivers that we have that maintain our routes,” Dobbs said.

Harris hopes to see bus routing continue to improve in the coming years.

Next week, a federal judge will hear a lawsuit that aims to reinstate the previous year’s busing plan. The judge is expected to rule on a temporary restraining order that, if granted, would halt the district’s current transportation plan while legal proceedings play out.

JCPS starts on Aug. 8.

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