MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -
The start of a new school has come with a big surprise for the Murfreesboro City School district.
More kids than ever before signed up to take the bus to and from school.
The unanticipated increase is putting the district in a bind, as they work to accommodate nearly 1,000 extra children until additional buses arrive.
Wayne Rogers has worked as a bus driver for the district for five years and said the additional children are obvious.
"Definitely a lot more kids this year than there was last year," he said.
Due to the influx, Rogers, like many drivers, is making two routes each day.
Chief of Operations Gary Anderson told Nashville's News 2 double routes are standard.
"Double routes can be challenging and stressful, but I try not to let it stress me out too much," he said.
This year, some drivers have had to triple up on routes until new buses arrive.
Anderson said each year, the district anticipates a slight rise in ridership, but this year was different.
"This year we have had over 3,000 students asking for transportation to and from school," explained Anderson. "Last year, we ended the school year with 2,000 students."
Even though the school year has already begun, Anderson said there are still requests from parents for their children to ride the bus.
"We think it has to do with the price of gas," he said, adding, "The fact that people find a convenience in knowing that at a specific time, the buses will come by and pick them up and get their children back home."
Murfreesboro City Schools was given $500,000 by the city to purchase three additional buses, hire appropriate staff and account for extra fuel costs.
"The transportation department tries to keep spare buses for whenever one breaks down, but all of our spares will be out on the road Monday, which means we have no spares until the new buses come in," Anderson said.
Anderson said the new buses, two regular size buses and a special education bus, have arrived, but have to be inspected before they can hit the roadways.
Anderson said he hopes to have the new additional out in a few weeks.
