JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As students head back to school, one thing people may be wondering about is transportation. Duval County Public Schools expects around 48,000 students to be using the district's bus transportation; that's slightly up from last year.
Students will use about 875 buses and 3,600 bus routes. Two hundred of those buses are brand-new and have air conditioning.
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Going forward, any new buses will be required to have air conditioning. The changeover is expected to take about two to three years to get 100 percent of the buses equipped with air conditioning.
Buses are new and comfortable but the real important part is knowing your child's route and making sure they know it.
News4Jax reporter Ashley Mitchem said when she was a child, she got on the wrong bus and didn't know her route on the first day of sixth grade. She said it was frightening and upsetting and was by no means a good way to start off her middle school experience. Mitchem suggested that parents should drive the route with their child, or at least inform them where they need to go.
“As always, the first day of school is a little hectic for everyone. Trying to get the children out the door and to the bus stop. We ask that parents get to the bus stop about 10 minutes early and just wait for the bus,” Don Nelson, Duval County Public Schools' assistant superintendent of operations, said.
Parents can check all of Duval County Public Schools' bus routes online on the district's website. If that's not an option, parents can call the school for that info or call 9074-381-RIDE. The call center will be staffed through Aug. 25.