Pentucket Regional School District Urges Patience as New Bus Routes Kick Off for Start of School Year on Tuesday

MERRIMAC — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Executive Director of Operations Jonathan Seymour are excited to welcome families and students back to the Pentucket Regional School District for the start of the 2025-2026 school year! As the school year begins, bus routes have shifted slightly, and the district is running three fewer buses this year. While no significant delays or issues are expected, the district is urging families to be patient for the first two weeks of the school year, as drivers adjust to the new routes.

Pentucket once again awarded its bussing contract to Salter Transportation, Inc., and this year the district has reduced its bus routes from 18 to 15 total routes. While the same buses are used by elementary and middle-high school students, the elementary schools are projected to be most affected by the reduction in routes. Bagnall School went from seven to six busses, Merrimac schools from six to five, and the Page School from five to four.

Based on ridership numbers, the reduction in bus routes is not expected to significantly alter route times or arrival times, however as with any change, there may be some adjusting, especially early in the school year.

“Based on our declining school bus ridership over the past two years we were able to reduce buses and save money on our transportation contract,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “As drivers and students get used to the new routes, we just ask that everyone bear with us as we start the new school year.”

Cutting the three bus routes saved nearly $200,000 for this fiscal year. The decision to cut the three busses was made only after ridership numbers had declined to a point this year where it was projected that there would be minimal disruption or increases in wait times. Additionally, given the nationwide shortage of school bus drivers, the removal of three routes is projected to give the district’s vendor more consistency, resulting in less interruption of service on a daily basis if drivers are sick or miss work.

As bus ridership continues to evolve and change, the district is also beginning to look at the feasibility of starting elementary and secondary school days at the same time eventually. More information and research on start times will be discussed over the coming months.

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