As students wake up, stuff their backpacks and get ready for school, some might soon notice a difference in their daily commute. The Westport school district is considering implementing bus cuts next fall, which would eliminate two to four daily routes. The cuts, with a goal of reducing costs and leading to the expansion of walking zones, would decrease the amount of near empty buses, going from 37 to 33 full sized buses.
According to Westport Journal, almost 4,600 students in the district are eligible for bus transportation, and around 67% of these students took the bus. There is a significant difference by age group, with the number of elementary and middle schoolers taking the bus being 75% of the eligible students, and the high schoolers only 50%.
As some sophomores, many juniors and most seniors are able to drive themselves to school, it checks out that fewer students at this age would be using the bus as their primary source of transportation each morning. The Board of Education Discussed the cuts and there was also conversation surrounding walking zones, where an extra bus cut could be implemented if the zones surrounding Bedford and Staples were improved.
Although the walking zones were mentioned, board of education member Lee Goldstein assured that “There is no support for changing walk zones at this time,” as student representative Souleye Kebe ’26 raised concerns about various dead ends that might impact walking routes.
The bus cuts aren’t confirmed, as Superintendent Thomas Scarice doubts that all four suggested cuts would actually be eliminated, proposing the removal of two as a small start.
While these routes may not seem critical to some, students like Elyana Blatt ’25 who live within walking distance to school relied on her bus route her freshman and sophomore year.
“When it would be cold or raining and my parents were working, I took the bus home. I have a lot of younger neighbors who are in the same situation, so I’m not sure about cutting routes and expecting students to walk,” Blatt said. “I definitely think there’s a middle ground, whether that be combining routes or adjusting the times, but I don’t think getting rid of them entirely is the right solution.”