Area school bus routes experience major delays

Alachua County school buses are running major delays Friday amid a shortage of bus drivers. 

“We are expecting more and longer school bus delays than usual this afternoon,” Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) posted to Facebook at 12:38 p.m. “All students will be dropped off at their bus stops, but in a few cases delays may run up to 90 minutes.”

The district directed parents to a page on the district’s website to track delays. At least seven bus routes listed “no driver” as the reason for the delay. 

“We apologize for the inconvenience for students and families,” the ACPS Facebook post said. 

Several parents expressed frustration about the situation in comments on the post. 

“I realize the district must be trying hard to solve this, but I am concerned that a serious problem is going to occur,” wrote Carol Church. “A young child might give up and walk somewhere along an unsafe route. My family has been very affected and we’re having to reassess how we do things here because my child is not able to get to and from school reliably right now.”

In an email ACPS spokesperson Jackie Johnson attributed the driver absences to Memorial Day weekend. 

“Unfortunately we do tend to have more absences on the Friday before a long weekend,” she said. 

Below is the full list of late bus routes on Friday: 

Afternoon late buses

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route #1023 Westwood 15 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route #3003 Westwood 30 Minutes Late 

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1001 Oakview, and Newberry High 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1009 Newberry Elementary, Buchholz, and Kanapaha 30 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1013 Kanapaha 25 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1015 Newberry Elementary, Oakview, and Newberry High 30 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1021 Newberry Elementary, Oakview, and Newberry High 30 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1031 A. Quinn Jones 20 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1051 Lincoln, and Howard Bishop 45 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1063 A. Quinn Jones 20 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 1071 Eastside, and Loften 20 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 2059 Ft. Clarke 30 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 3003 Gainesville High 30 Minutes Late

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 3027 Rawlings 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 3029 Gainesville High, and Kanapaha 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

12:30-1:30 p.m. – Route# 3049 Buchholz 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

Morning late buses

5-6 a.m. – Route# 1001 Oakview, and Newberry High 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

5-6 a.m. – Route# 1003 Parker 30 Minutes Late 

5-6 a.m. – Route# 1049 Littlewood, Gainesville High, Lincoln, and Howard Bishop 40 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 1063 A. Quinn Jones 30 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 1073 Oakview, and Newberry High 30 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 2055 Gainesville High 30 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 2055 Parker 30 Minutes Late 

5-6 a.m. – Route# 3013 Talbot 30 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 3015 Norton 30 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 3029 Gainesville High 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

5-6 a.m. – Route# 3041 Lincoln, and Howard Bishop 25 Minutes Late

5-6 a.m. – Route# 3047 Buchholz, and Ft. Clarke 90 Minutes Late (No Driver)

Editor’s note: This story was updated to include Jackie Johnson’s response.