Van Buren, White Systems Leading Talk On Regional Bus Cooperative

Several Upper Cumberland county school systems are looking to form a regional bus cooperative to allow for easier transportation assistance.

The cooperative would allow schools to help one another find immediate transportation when issues arise. Van Buren Director of Schools Jared Copeland said the cooperative would encourage counties to focus on taking care of the children first while having a way to work out payment later.

“Say there’s a situation where there’s a late ball game in a different county or something of that nature and a bus breaks down, that county essentially can give us mutual aid and get out kids home, and that way they’re not stranded waiting on a bus,” Copeland said.

Copeland said the goal is to keep the cooperative as simple as possible. Right now, the cooperative would involve Van Buren and White County, but discussions could go further.

“We already have good relationships with our counties around us and other school systems,” Copeland said. “So really just an ‘unofficial-official’ statement that, if there’s a situation, we’ll help each other out.”

Copeland said the idea came after discussion between multiple transportation directors in the Upper Cumberland. The program is currently under discussion, but there is no proper timeline.

“It would be important to any county that’s a part of it,” Copeland said.