Peninsula parents want bus services

No bus service to Peninsula High School — which sits atop a large hill — has parents requesting options from the district.

The district reduced bus services in June to help balance the tight budget. There’s no bus service in a 5-mile radius around each campus within the district. But in the case of Peninsula, there’s little to no public transportation option for these students. Parents requested the district reconsider bus service to Millbrae and San Bruno. Members on the San Mateo Union High School District Board of Trustees requested at its meeting last night the item be studied and returned for action at a later meeting.

Peninsula parent Leah Bennett wondered if the board realized there wasn’t a public transportation option to the school prior to cutting services.

"If you had that knowledge, the message you’ve sent to the students at Peninsula is that you don’t want to leave them behind, but it’s permissible to leave them out in the cold,” she said.

Bennett explained that she takes her son to school in the morning. In the afternoon, it takes him 45 minutes to walk down the hill to the bus stop after school.

Another parent, Laura Alvarenga, urged the board to reconsider their decision. She added it’s acceptable to expect students to take public transportation to school; however, this isn’t an option for these students.

Millbrae City Councilwoman Gina Papan echoed the concerns of parents requesting service be reinstated for the Millbrae students.

Currently two buses go to Peninsula High School. The district will study if those buses can be rerouted to meet the needs of the other students and, if so, the cost of the change. In addition, the district will study the cost of adding a third bus.

All students, except special education students, riding the bus must purchase a pass unless they qualify for free or reduced fares. An annual round-trip pass purchased after Aug. 4 will cost $285 and siblings are given a 10 percent discount.

When the district researched the number of students served by the proposed Peninsula bus service, it will also need to consider the cost of a pass per student.

The board will discuss the topic at its Oct. 18 meeting.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.