As it does during the first weeks of September each year, the City School District of Albany Transportation Department is preparing to mail updated First Student route information to families after processing hundreds of new applications in recent weeks.
These route updates will change the yellow bus schedules for many students beginning this Thursday. Additional route updates are scheduled to take effect next Tuesday, Sept. 20.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and support as we work with First Student to make these changes as seamless as possible. Everyone in our Transportation Department and at First Student is working hard to minimize disruptions and delays as quickly as possible.
However, in addition to the delays typically associated with the start of a new school year as new students are added and drivers get accustomed to new routes, First Student also continues to struggle with a driver shortage.
As many of you already may have experienced, this is affecting First Student’s ability to operate all routes consistently each day. Some routes may continue to run up to 20 minutes behind schedule, with longer delays possible in some cases.
We recognize that these inconsistencies in the First Student system have an impact on you. We apologize for the challenges that this causes. Our Transportation staff works closely with First Student on a daily basis to identify solutions that are within our capacity with the drivers available each day. We also continue to look for new solutions to help improve the on-time performance of all First Student routes regardless of staffing challenges.
We ask that you continue to follow the guideline of having your student at the bus stop at least 10 minutes before the designated pickup time. If your child receives curb-to-curb pickup, please be sure they are outside when the bus arrives.
- If you have any questions about your yellow bus route or schedule, contact our Transportation Department at (518) 475-6170.
- If a transportation issue arises after 5 p.m., contact First Student directly at (518) 445-6372.
Careers at First Student
Industry-leading pay and lucrative signing bonuses are among the incentives First Student provides for its on-the-road employees.
- Drivers earn $25 an hour to start, and also earn sign-on bonuses as high as $5,000. First Student also provides paid CDL training.
- First Student also is hiring bus monitors to serve our school district, with starting pay of $15 an hour and a $500 sign-on bonus.
For more information, you can visit First Student's website -- click the “Apply Now” button, and then enter “Albany, NY” in the location search.
FirstView app
A reminder that you can download First Student’s FirstView app, which goes live Oct. 1 each school year. FirstView allows you to track the location and direction of your bus, the stop schedule for the current day, and times for school arrivals and departures.
New this school year, First Student now provides each driver with a tablet that is synced with the route of each bus. This new technology is designed to help the FirstView app provide more accurate route information for families and staff.
For more information and to download the app, visit firstviewapp.com. It’s a free download from the Apple Store or Google Play Store. Just search FirstView.
