Shaasvata N.

Many of the ISM middle school students use the bus service to get to school and home from school. Riding the bus is sustainable and can positively impact our environment. However, taking the ISM school bus comes with some challenges. 

Some students might be familiar with the experience known as the second batch bus. When taking the first bus to go home, the buses typically depart ISM at 3:20pm. However, because many ISM students take the bus, there is not enough space to accommodate all the buses leaving at 3:20. Therefore, some buses leave 10, 15, or even 20 minutes later; these are called the second batch buses. This might not seem like a big deal, but it can present some challenges for students. 

As we all know, some students live far away from school and it can take up to an hour for them to reach home, especially when there is traffic. If the bus departs late from ISM, students will reach home later due to the late departure and the traffic. Reaching home late is the main challenge of second batch buses, but they also create other challenges. 

For example, ISM middle school students often have homework -- projects or tests to study for. When they get home late, the amount of time to do homework decreases. Students tend to stay up late having to do homework and other things. This can cause students to feel tired at school and can affect their participation in class. This may lead to stress when work piles up. 

Another challenge is that the second batch buses do not always arrive and depart at the same time every afternoon. After the first batch buses leave, it can sometimes take the second batch buses 5, 10, or even 15 minutes to arrive, load up with students, and then leave. This irregularity can be difficult for some students. Sometimes students have things to do after school. For example, go to the lost and found or the library to return a book. Because the second batch buses may arrive and depart at different times each day, it can be hard for students who ride these second batch buses to manage their time wisely in order to do these things.  Students do not want to miss the bus, but they also may need to take care of other responsibilities like return a library book. 

These are a couple of the challenges, but there may be a way to help the bus riders. 

One solution could be alternating which bus joins the first batch and which  joins the second batch. For example, if a first batch bus departs at 3:20pm  on a Monday, it could go with the second batch on Tuesday. This could help ensure that there is a balance so the same bus riders don’t have to wait for the second batch buses every day. 

Another solution could be prioritizing the buses. For example, the buses that drop off students who live close to ISM or in BGC could be in the second batch because it would not take them as long to get home. Then, the buses who drop off students who live far from ISM could be in first batch since it takes them longer to reach home. 

To conclude, second batch buses can cause challenges for many ISM  students and it could be helpful to explore different solutions to this issue.