WORCESTER – Thursday, August 17, 2023 – The bus drivers, dispatchers, and mechanics at the Worcester Public Schools Transportation Department are hard at work preparing for the first day of school!
Several new buses have enhanced safety features, including brighter and flashier lighting of the “stop” and “school bus” signs on the buses.
Since the district began operating all its own school buses one year ago, WPS has saved $3.5 million. Some of that funding has been reallocated to teacher supply budgets. In addition, email complaints about on-time performance decreased by 76% in one year. (843 in 2021-22 vs. 203 in 2022-23.)
The hiring of bus drivers is going very well. We have hired 194 drivers as of this week, versus 169 at this time last year. We have several additional candidates who we anticipate hiring prior to the first day of school once their training is complete. Many of these positions are “spare” bus drivers to cover for employee absences.
Recently, the Transportation Department received the Donald J. Johnson Operational and Cost Efficiency Award from the Mass. Association of School Business Officials for the successful results of the move to district-operated student transportation.
The first day of school is Monday, August 28, for grades 1-12 and Thursday, August 31, for grades pre-K and kindergarten.
WPS strongly encourages all students and parents/caregivers to download the
Versatrans My Stop GPS Bus Tracking smartphone app. School bus routes are anticipated to be released to families through the WooEdu portal on or about August 21. Visit the Bus Stop page for more information.
