• Read below for our June 2022 update. Briefly, the bus driver shortage will not be fixed by better advertising, pay, benefits, or bonuses (the City has tried). The City needs 40 school bus drivers but expects to have 8. Apply for the position here!

• To ensure safety, we’ll provide bus eligibility in situations where walking infrastructure isn’t adequate (such as railroad tracks). The City is working now to address some of these issues – click here for a list of confirmed projects (updated weekly).
• In a few cases, even if the route is not pedestrian-friendly,  we have not given the student bus eligibility because we are asking the family to take responsibility for finding a safe way to transport their child for a short distance. In these rare situations, the home is very close to the school or the less-safe area of the route is very close to the child’s home.
• There will also be exemptions for specific students for special needs such as documented medical conditions.
• If you have questions about why you are in a walk zone or don’t believe your child’s route is safe and can’t find a safe alternative, please contact walkzones@charlottesvilleschools.org or call 434-245-2400.

• Please call your school.

We have created maps with commonly used walking routes to our elementary schools and middle school (based on distance, sidewalks, and crossing guards), but there may be other routes that your family prefers.

Click on the links below for printable PDFs and images of our maps:

• Buford School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22
• Burnley-Moran School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22
• Clark School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22
• Greenbrier School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22
• Jackson-Via School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22
• Johnson School Route Map (Image) Revised 8/1/22
• Venable School Route Map (Image) Revised 8/1/22
• Walker School Route Map (PDF) Revised 8/1/22

Please consider the following:

• On our maps, different colored lines show commonly used routes to school. Most routes have sidewalks, but areas with low neighborhood traffic (but no sidewalk) or areas where there is a brief stretch without a sidewalk may still be considered a good route.
• On our maps, orange stars are locations where we are planning to have a crossing guard. These include locations where we have had a guard in previous years as well as new locations identified by families, staff and community partners. We are CURRENTLY HIRING for these positions. We are hoping to add crossing guards to even more locations.
• Some routes may include walking across parking areas, and most routes cross driveways and entrances to homes and businesses. Point these out to your student as you are practicing the route to and from school.
• We recommend that students walk in groups and/or with at least one responsible adult, and consider visibility when choosing your route.
• For routes traveled by many elementary students (such as between Friendship Court and Clark), we are working out details for either staffed walking groups (“walking school buses”) or additional crossing guards along the path.

Have suggestions to improve these maps? Email walkzones@charlottesvilleschools.org 

• If you are interested in connecting with other families who share much of the same recommended route, please talk to your neighbors or contact your school PTO to see if they have an app to recommend or another process for coordinating walking buddies, biking groups, or rainy day carpools for your neighborhood.

• Contact Community Bikes at 434-260-0893 or info@cbikes.org.

Notes about the project statuses:

• Projects are added when the City confirms that they can undertake them
• “Completed” means that the project is complete
• “Scheduled Improvement” means that the work is expected to be completed within 30 to 60 days
• “Planned” means that the City has a plan for this work, and it will be scheduled when resources and/or funding is allocated
• “Open” means that a staff member has not been assigned to this intersection

Click here to see full document

• Later in August, the City will give us routing information. If you requested bus service, at that point, we will reach out to you again, letting you know this student’s bus information (if assigned to a bus) or announcing they are on the waitlist. See next section for tips on how to estimate if your child will be on the bus.

• Remember to re-register your child to request bus service and tell us your level of need.
• Remember, the bus zones are 0.75 miles for elementary and 1.25 miles for Walker, Buford, and CHS.
• The closer you are to the school, the less likely it is that you’ll get assigned to the bus. For a rough estimate, you can use Google Maps (click directions, then the walking icon) to calculate the walking distance between your home and the school.
  • Generally speaking, the students who live furthest from the school who have expressed a need for the bus will be assigned on a priority basis.
  • Those who live closest to the school and who have not expressed a high level of need are likely to be wait-listed.

Remember, even if you live in the “bus zone,” there is a possibility that your child will not be assigned to the bus when school starts on August 24:

• Please make a plan for this student, and practice it if you intend for your child to walk, bike, use a scooter, or take a CAT (City) bus.
• Make a back-up plan for inclement weather
• Talk with other families in your neighborhood and consider organizing groups to walk, bike, and/or carpool to school together – your PTO may be able to assist in this effort or recommend an app.
• The public CAT buses might be a good option for some students.

• Do you live within the new walk zones? The distance is ~.75 mile for elementary, and ~ 1.25 miles for Walker, Buford, and CHS. For a rough estimate, you can use Google Maps (click directions, then the walking icon) to calculate the walking distance between your home and the school. We may “round up” the zone to get to the end of a cul-de-sac, neighborhood area, or natural boundary line.

Even with these changes, bus space will still be limited. Re-register your children now to help the City plan the routes. The “Type A” buses will not be available at the start of the year, so thanks for your continued patience.

Click on image to find full map.

• All schools zones are served by existing CAT routes except Greenbrier:
  • CHS and Walker are on Route 9 (pink)
    • See parent Matthew Gillikin’s Guide to Riding Route 9 to Walker  
  • Buford has stops on Route 4 and 6 (red & yellow)
• CAT is free for people under 18 and has operated fare-free since the pandemic
• Need to find your route? Use a tool like Google Maps (click directions, then the bus icon) or find out more here.
• This is an opportunity to support the expansion and enhancement of the public  transit system while developing students as life-long public transit users

• Check out the list of upcoming improvements, above.
• The MyCville app is a great way to report infrastructure concerns to City Public Works (or call 434-970-3333, option #2). Upload photos or describe areas of concern.
• To report a “close call” of a walking or biking accident, use this form to help the City improve safety.

If there are issues with these walk zones, let’s work together to find solutions. We will continue to work with families and the City to make improvements. As we learn more and as the City addresses known issues, we may expand these walk zones further. Please remember, our expanded walk zones are still on the “short” side of regional and national averages.

See below for other ideas, including mini-buses, partnership with JAUNT, and more. Have a new idea? Let us know at walkzones@charlottesvilleschools.org.

• Consider applying as a regular or substitute crossing guard (including the role of walking group leader — these “walking crossing guards” are included in the same job application).
• Sign up to learn more or work to be part of the solution!
• Want to work towards a more walkable, bikable Charlottesville? Consider joining the Piedmont Mobility Alliance.

• Our staff has been out walking routes to school this summer with good results reported so far.
• We have held four “talk and walk” events at key locations impacted by the expanded walk zones (Friendship Court, Hearthwood Apartments, South First Street, and Westhaven).  We’ve found good discussion and receptivity at all locations so far. Upcoming event:
  • Online Q&A, Wednesday, August 10, 5-6pm.
• We are finalizing locations for crossing guards and reviewing applications.
• The City – which hires drivers and oversees school bus operations – continues to recruit and train bus drivers, but the number of available drivers has not significantly increased. Apply here!
• The City is also in conversation with JAUNT about the possibility of sharing drivers (as is already the case with CAT drivers).

Read below for the original information we shared with families back in June. And join us at our final meeting to discuss these changes:

• Online Community Q&A, Wednesday, August 10, 5-6pm.

Attend our Work Sessions (actually, they are “Talk and Walk” Sessions)  

• Join us to discuss what these changes mean for your neighborhood and help us find solutions. We’ll meet for an hour and then walk to a school. (A school bus will be available for the return trip.)
  • Wednesday, July 6, 5-6:30pm, Westhaven
  • Friday, July 15, 12-1:30pm, Friendship Court, 418 Garrett St.
  • Friday, July 22, 12-1:30pm, Hearthwood Apartments, 2111 Michie Drive
  • Friday, July 29, 12-1:30pm, Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church, 105 Lankford Ave.
  • Wednesday, August 10, 5-6pm, Online Community Q&A.

We’ll also be at “Healthy Streets, Healthy People” (organized by Move2HealthEquity and WellAWARE), Washington Park, July 16, 9am-1pm

Other Ways to Help and Stay Tuned

• Sign up here to…
  • receive e-mail updates about the changes
  • and/or express interest in working to be part of the solution, including becoming a crossing guard

Want to work towards a more walkable, bikable Charlottesville? Consider joining the Piedmont Mobility Alliance. We’ll  also be be at the “Healthy Streets, Healthy People” event sponsored by Move2HealthEquity and WellAWARE at Washington Park on July 16, 9am-1pm!

• This national problem is not getting better. The City has tried increasing pay, offering bonuses, and increasing marketing without long-term success.

New York Times, Aug. 27, 2021

• The City (which manages our school buses) is down to fewer than 10 school bus drivers. Last year, there were about 20, but to fully staff the program, 40 are needed!
• Higher pay is not enough to turn around this national trend that began before COVID
  • The City has increased pay, bonuses, and marketing without long-term success
  • The City also has vacancies in CAT drivers, who have jointly served as school bus drivers in the past
  • This is part of an ongoing, national trend that was in place a long time ago but made worse by COVID
  • There is no end in sight for this trend. We need to try new solutions for this fall and for the future. But the new solutions can make for a better, healthier, more environmentally friendly Charlottesville.

• Our current walk zone lengths are among the shortest in the country (0.3 mile for elementary, 0.5 mile for Buford/Walker, and 0.7 mile at CHS)
• New zones: approximately 0.75 mile walk for elementary (up to a 20-minute walk), approximately 1.25 mile walk for Buford/Walker/CHS (up to a 30-minute walk)
• These walk zones will put us closer to regional averages (see chart, below)
• Walking distances to bus stops will also lengthen to create route efficiencies
• To ensure safety, we’ll provide bus eligibility in situations where walking infrastructure isn’t adequate (such as railroad tracks)
  • We’ll create an appeal process to review routes that are not perceived as safe
• We’ll offer supports for inclement weather (for example, walking school buses can distribute umbrellas, etc.)

Click on image to find full map.

• All schools zones are served by existing CAT routes except Greenbrier:
  • CHS and Walker are on Route 9 (pink)
  • Buford has nearby stops on Route 4 and 6 (red & yellow)
• CAT is free for people under 18 and has operated fare-free since the pandemic
• Need to find your route? Use a tool like Google Maps (click directions, then the bus icon) or find out more here.
• This is an opportunity to support the expansion and enhancement of the public  transit system while developing students as life-long public transit users

More about Mini Type A School Buses

• These 15-passenger “Type A” school buses have all the markings and safety features of full-size buses
• Thanks to recent legislation to address the school bus driver shortage, drivers no longer need a commercial driver’s license to operate a Type A bus. Drivers would be trained and tested by the City’s transportation department (they still need a “S” or “school” endorsement).
• We’ve had more than 30 Cville Schools employees express interest in serving in this capacity
• We’re talking with companies that can provide Type A school buses, including electric, but these will not be available until later in the school year.

We appreciate a carpool, and yes, there’s an app for that! In fact, there are a lot of free apps. We hesitate to endorse a single solution, but we know that the apps will work best if people agree on one or two to use. PTOs may wish to investigate and make a school or division-wide recommendation.

Other possibilities include

• Potential trial of per-child stipends for families impacted by these changes (based on attendance). Could include different levels of stipend based on need (and ways for people to donate or decline stipends if they wish)
• Voucher program for items like new walking shoes
• Share your ideas with us! Join us at a “Talk and Walk” session or call 434-245-2400.