September 20, 2022

 

Dear Pembroke Community,

As a district, we are committed to providing high-quality transportation that accommodates our students' academic and extracurricular needs. 

 

As many of you know, First Student is our contracted transportation company. During the first few weeks of every school year, new drivers are learning routes, some students are riding the bus for the first time, and families are adapting to new daily routines. All of these factors have an impact on bus transportation.

 

This fall has been particularly difficult.  Like many other companies, First Student is facing employee shortages and the lack of available drivers has caused a significant disruption to our daily transportation services. First Student is actively seeking additional drivers and working closely with our Transportation Department to limit the impact on our transportation services. Our priority is to ensure students have safe transportation and that our families have access to timely notifications of any route changes or delays.

 

When First Student notifies the Transportation Office of any route changes or driver coverage, we generate an email notification to impacted schools. We try to limit the number of changes and combine routes when possible. We recognize that these delays inconvenience families. We appreciate your patience and we are working with First Student to resolve these issues.

 

Additionally, our contract with First Student provides us with access to their bus tracking system Firstview. This bus tracking software allows families to track their student's bus routes in real-time. We anticipate the Firstview will be available for families later this month. Once the bus routes are final and the app is live, we will send additional communication to families.

 

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a bus driver, please visit the First Student website for additional information. 

 

If you have questions or need clarification about bus stops, routes, or assignments, please visit our website www.pembrokek12.org or call the Transportation Office at 781-829-0832.

 

We appreciate your continued patience and understanding.

 

Erin Obey

Superintendent