37 bus routes restored for Anne Arundel County students

BALTIMORE -- Hundreds of Anne Arundel County students finally got a bus ride to school Monday morning.

The school district restored partial bus service for at least 37 routes.

"It becomes someone else's responsibility when, really, it's the county's," parent Jami Spoone said when asked about the bus issues in the district to start the school year. "We've got to figure out what we're doing. This is a mess. I should not have to have someone pick up my son every day."

Those routes—because of bus driver shortages—have been out of service since the beginning of the school year, causing headaches for many parents.

School officials say that staff in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Transportation Department identified the routes as part of an "extensive granular-level examination and ongoing adjustments to stops on other routes."

Seven of those routes now offer both morning and afternoon service, six offer only morning service, and 17 offer only afternoon service.  

"As I said when we announced this plan earlier this month, this is not the total solution that our families expect and that we want," Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell said. "It is, however, a huge step forward that will provide families with relief as we continue to explore additional avenues to solve this complex issue."  

District officials say routes were chosen through a variety of factors that include "the use of an equity lens aimed at identifying and eliminating negative barriers, whether an additional run will result in students getting to school on time or nearly on time, the volume of students expected to ride a bus, and the existing impact on a school that would be served by such an additional run."

Spoone says her son has not been picked up at his designated stop on multiple occasions this year and she has had to sort out private transportation.

"I think it's great for some parents who never had a bus route, but the people who already had a bus route and it's not being followed, it's still going to be a problem for us," Spoone said.

Here is the list of school bus routes operating in Anne Arundel County:

Full service routes (morning and afternoon)

• Chesapeake Bay Middle School Bus 294 (to be run by Bus 283)
• Northeast Middle School Bus 242 (to be run by Bus 90)
• Old Mill High School Bus 4 (to be run by Bus 7 and Bus 349)
• Old Mill Middle School South Bus 183 (to be run by Bus 4, Bus 378, Bus 489, and Bus 657)
• Shady Side Elementary School Bus 297 (to be run by Bus 37 and Bus 293)
• South Shore Elementary School Bus 490 (to be run by Bus 378)
• Tracey's Elementary School Bus 641 (to be run by Bus 41)

Morning only routes

• Broadneck High School Bus 303 (to be run by Bus 231)
• Central Middle School Bus 117 (to be run by Bus 144)
• Meade Middle School Bus 333 (to be run by Bus 616)
• Old Mill Middle School North Bus 110 (to be run by Bus 345)
• Old Mill Middle School South Bus 25 (to be run by Bus 491)
• Severn River Middle School Bus 387 (to be run by Bus 611)

Afternoon only routes

• Broadneck High School Bus 238 (to be run by Bus 187)
• Broadneck High School Bus 426 (to be run by Bus 337)
• Folger McKinsey Elementary School Bus 124 (to be run by Bus 7)
• Freetown Elementary School Bus 442 (to be run by Bus 147)
• Germantown Elementary School Bus 42 (to be run by Bus 467)
• Hebron-Harman Elementary School Bus 374 (to be run by Bus 43)
• Jessup Elementary School Bus 333 (to be run by Bus 616)
• Mayo Elementary School Bus 117 (to be run by Bus 144)
• North County High School Bus 145 (to be run by Bus 125)
• North County High School Bus 291 (to be run by Bus 203)
• North County High School Bus 413 (to be run by Bus 147)
• Ridgeway Elementary School Bus 110 (to be run by Bus 491)
• Seven Oaks Elementary School Bus 372 (to be run by Bus 102)
• Severn Elementary School Bus 230 (to be run by Bus 102)
• Severn Elementary School Bus 446 (to be run by Bus 621)
• South River High School Bus 117 (to be run by Bus 415)
• Sunset Elementary School Bus 331 (to be run by Bus 284)
• Windsor Farm Elementary School Bus 387 (to be run by Bus 611)

Parents can check out the bus schedules here.