GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Guilford County Schools said it will continue to suspend yellow bus service for eight high schools due to the driver shortage and rising COVID-19 cases.
The district said nearly one-third of Guilford County Schools (GCS) bus drivers are unavailable due to illness, hard-to-fill vacancies, and leaves of absence. As a result, GCS will have to continue suspending yellow bus service for the following eight high schools along city bus lines: Andrews High, High Point Central High, Kearns Academy, Dudley High, Grimsley High, Page High, Smith High and The Academy at Smith.
The district said it will continue to partner with Greensboro and High Point public transit agencies. They’ll also continue to allow students to ride for free with their student identification badges known as “One cards.”
“The past several days have proven what many of us already knew: public transportation is safe and efficient,” said Board Chair Deena Hayes-Greene. “While we are patiently waiting for our bus drivers to recover and get back in the driver’s seat, we’re thankful we can work with our municipalities to provide this option.”
GCS will also continue to offer shuttle services to a limited number of apartment complexes and neighborhoods where data indicates there are large numbers of students who ride district school buses and may lack transportation to school as a result.
The district said shuttles will be driven by school staff who hold all required qualifications to drive a school bus and who have volunteered to help. They said nearly all GCS staff who hold valid Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs) have stepped forward to transport students.
Parents and students should look online to access city bus routes.
Greensboro Transportation Agency: find your route using Google Maps for Android or Google Maps for Apple.
High Point Transit: find your route using the HPT Moovit tool
Parents/guardians can find more information about this change, including how to access city routes, on the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com.
Parents/guardians may also call the Transportation hotline at (888) 511-4GCS (4427), Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Editor's note: The video attached to this story is from a previous story on city buses in the city of High Point taking high school students to school.
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