Families will have to sign up for the bus after study finds 45 percent of seats empty

What happened

On April 29, 2026 the committee voted 6-0 to adopt an opt-in bus ridership system after the Transpar Group reported that the bus company assumes every student will ride and that about 45 percent of seats sometimes go unused. Under the change parents fill in a form, normally between April 1 and July 31, and students are assigned to vehicles from August 1; mid-year moves take three to five days to process. Consultants told the committee that no money is saved in the first year, which is used to collect data, and that savings appear when the district next puts the contract out to bid. Forms are to be offered in multiple languages.

Why it matters to families

From 2027-28 a Cumberland child will not have a seat on a bus unless a parent has filled in a form, which puts the burden on families and creates a risk that some children are missed. The same study is redrawing school boundaries and bell times, so the changes will arrive together.

The evidence

The approved April 29, 2026 minutes record the Transpar presentation, including the 45 percent under-utilisation figure, the April 1 to July 31 window, the three to five day processing time for mid-year moves, the statement that savings begin at the next bid cycle, and the 6-0 vote to approve opt-in transportation.

The source