ACPS considering public transportation use for students

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) - Albemarle County Public Schools, Jaunt, and Charlottesville Area Transit are coming up with a plan for students.

“We’re looking at the possibility of the city’s bus system, which is CAT being able to transport as many as 400 of our students who live in the urban grid,” ACPS Strategic Communications Officer Phil Giaramita said.

That’s five busses ACPS would no longer need to do maintenance on and pay drivers for operating, a mitigation strategy through the driver shortage and hiring challenges.

“It would be no cost, the CAT system would not charge us for this service. Another possibility is is the county’s equivalent, which is Jaunt. We’re going to continue those discussions with both of those agencies,” Giaramita said.

Students would be able to get on the bus at their normal stop.

“It wouldn’t in any way delay our routes or cause issues for students, or for the systems because they’d be following their normal routes and simply picking up a couple of additional passengers.”

He says ACPS is focused on safety during transit, given they could potentially travel with people who are not students.

Giaramita says the school district is looking to begin this in the August, at the start of the new school year.

Copyright 2022 WVIR. All rights reserved.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.