Students at Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) face a new challenge getting to school and back home. Metro Transit buses are now skipping past groups of students due to capacity issues. While the issue is new and infrequent, parents estimate that it has occurred 10-15 times since the school year started this past September.
One parent, Kathi Seiden-Thomas reached out to Madison365 after increased concerns and no firm answer to remedy the situation from MMSD or Metro Transit.
“In the mornings, that means the bus does not stop. It just keeps going and leaves students at the stop because it’s full and cannot load any more students,” Seiden-Thomas said. ”Then in the afternoon, students exit out the main door of the school, and they all board the busses. And in the afternoon, when it becomes full, then at some point, the driver says, ‘Oh, we’re full. Can’t take anybody else,’ and leaves.”
Her son, who attends West High School, reported to his parents that the bus simply skipped past them. Seiden-Thomas reached out to Metro Transit to see why this was happening. She was told that it was due to capacity issues on the bus and fleet size.
She doesn’t recall this happening in the previous academic year, but her worries are increased as the cold continues to creep in. Even when her son does make it on the bus, it’s so crowded that riders are well past safety boundaries with some forced to impede the stairway and side entrances.
Schools in MMSD have mixed status for buses. Students pre-K-junior high are able to take the typical yellow school buses. High school students generally do not, unless there is a compelling reason to, and use Metro Transit buses. Metro Transit and MMSD have a contractual arrangement to provide high school students with transportation. The two routes that service schools for Seiden-Thomas and other families in the area are 637 and 638.
The cost for high school students to use Metro Transit buses is dependent on distance from the school. Seiden-Thomas is required to pay $350 per school year due to being over 1.5 miles away from the school. Her son, when he manages to get on the bus, is picked up at the stop near the Subway sandwich shop on South Park Street.
“This also isn’t a free service, like the yellow buses that come around. In addition to public dollars, every student needs to pay for a pass or they can’t afford the bus,” she said. “Not only is it something that they should just be providing for kids, but we’re also paying for a service that we’re not receiving.”
Not being picked up by the bus has had an effect on parents’ work schedules. Seiden-Thomas notes that parents have become accustomed to being on standby for the occasions that Metro Transit does skip past hers and other kids. Parents work together to make sure their kids make it to school after they scramble for a solution — but she considers herself more able to accommodate shortfalls from the bus compared to other families.
“When that happens, the other students at the bus stop scramble. Everyone’s calling and then someone finally says ‘Oh my brother can take us. ‘My mom can take us. She can fit four people,’” Seiden-Thomas said. “The same thing happens after school. Not only are they not getting home, they’re not getting to work on time, they’re not getting where else they need to be on time.”
Her work arrangement allows her to be flexible in instances when buses reach capacity and skip past students. Parents manage but with “incredible frustration,” Seiden-Thomas said.
“Our son would pick up the phone and call us and in the morning say, ‘The bus just kept going. Can someone take me?’ We have a two-parent household, but if both of us are somewhere else in the city and actually traveling… then we can’t take them,” Seiden-Thomas said.
“At this point, there’s a number of families who are either trying to rearrange their work schedules or to be on hold, because you also don’t know on any given day, is the bus going to come in the morning? Will the bus stop and have space in the morning? Will my child get a seat on the bus in the afternoon?”
After multiple calls to MMSD and Metro Transit, Seiden-Thomas finally received an update. Metro Transit has become increasingly aware of the issue. The two spitballed solutions to the capacity problem with potentially having another bus circle the routes for any missed students — which would cause students to become late. She was told that MMSD and Metro Transit would have a meeting on Nov. 18 to work on a solution.
Madison365 reached out to MMSD about the meeting. The meeting was closed to the public and media.
The exact details of the meeting and lobbied solutions are not known to the public. The currently settled solution is to have a supervisor at select bus stops to help manage load size and gather data to figure out how to remedy capacity problems later.
“A small team of MMSD building services staff did meet with Metro Transit yesterday, as they periodically do,” said Ian Folger, public information officer for MMSD. “One of the topics discussed during the meeting was the issue of students being passed by at stops. Metro Transit will be sending a supervisor out to certain routes where this has been happening, to monitor load sizes. Ridership varies, which can make things challenging to forecast.”
Neither MMSD or Metro Transit are entirely sure as to when exactly the problem started, why it’s happening now or how many students are being impacted. Gathering actionable data is the first step to figure out the best course of action.
Enrollment numbers are up in the previous academic year with 125 additional students. The 2022-23 academic year saw enrollment increase by 18 students following a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The school district aimed to address the worries of parents after the meeting.
When the issue does arise and students are either late or not make it to school, they are excused. As far as safety of students, “MMSD and Metro Transit are equally concerned — we want students transported to and from school safely and on time,” Folger said.
When asked how a supervisor at stops can help with capacity issues, MMSD said it will be able to assess how full the buses actually are.
“A supervisor can help students know when the next bus is expected or what other options might be available. In some cases (e.g., when buses are front-loaded), it can be difficult for a driver to assess whether a bus is truly full, or whether it simply appears to be. A supervisor would help there, too,” Folger said. “Finally, they would be able to provide insight into how widespread the issue is.”
The possibility of having a second bus scour the routes after is still on the table; Metro Transit is exploring the option, Folger said.
Metro Transit did not respond to requests to comment.
If your child takes the bus to any of MMSD’s high schools and it hasn’t picked them up due to capacity issues this school year, please reach out to Madison365. E-mail [email protected] or call or text 515-205-9508.
