BATON ROUGE – East Baton Rouge Parish students who will be bused to their first day of school Thursday will have to expect some changes to their commute.
Last year, several problems in the bus system led to a bus drivers’ strike that resulted in a day of school being cancelled. One reason was that several buses did not have air conditioning.
Office worker and occasional bus driver Lee Cosey said he believes this year will be better than last.
“A more comfortable bus makes the driver happier. A happier driver makes the kids happier, which ultimately makes the parents happier,” Cosey said.
Administrative director of transport Rob Howle said all 103 buses in use will have air conditioning and all buses on a route will be equipped with a tablet. He said they have improved their routing system so parents can more easily use the ‘Where’s the Bus?’ app.
Howle said each student is tied not only to the bus but also to its driver.
“So when the driver clocks in, they enter their original route number here and click start, even if they’re on a different bus. All the students who were tracking the previous bus will now track the new bus that the driver is on,” Howle said.
Transport manager Andy Chapman said this year it would be a better experience for everyone.
“We will provide better customer service to parents by helping them find bus routes and make adjustments. Our drivers will provide better customer service to the kids and the buses. We have better buses this year, so you can expect that,” Chapman said.
