A new after-school bus route leaving West at 4:45 p.m. will be implemented on Dec. 1, according to an email sent to students. This bus runs in addition to the already established after-school buses that will now depart from the South Lobby at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The routes will go through Skokie, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove and Niles.

This is the second new bus route of the school year. The school added a 6:00 a.m. early bird bus in August, typically arriving at school by 7:05 a.m. on regular school days.

According to Associate Principal of Operations Mark Thomas, the new afternoon bus route was created based on the number of students whose clubs ended at 4:30 p.m.

“What we try to do is always evaluate what our students need when it comes to after-school clubs and activities and extracurriculars that are going on,” Thomas said. 

The district noticed that the 5:15 p.m. buses were frequently so overfilled that buses would have to make two rounds. Thomas and other administrators met with homeroom teachers and students t0 gather their opinions. Student Activities Director Caitlin Lucci reflected on how the new buses would be helpful to students.

“I think it will make it more convenient for students after school to get home in a timely manner, and I’m really grateful that the district was able to add this opportunity so that students, wrapping up with a club or activity or working with a teacher, don’t have to wait until 5:30, they can now leave at 4:45,” Lucci said. 

Thomas reiterated Lucci’s sentiments that these new buses will allow students to get home faster and save more time.

“[The new buses are] so we don’t have people that are basically losing time because we appreciate the time you’re giving us,” Thomas said. “We know [students] go to school all day, they do activities or clubs, and they want to be able to maximize their time.”

Senior Avinn Shrestha stays after school three times a week for debate and Model UN. He believes that this new bus route will help students like him.

“I think that having a 4:45 bus is super useful to people who don’t want to wait for the later buses and don’t usually have rides immediately after their clubs end at 4:30, ” Shrestha said. “It’d definitely help me because the reason I don’t take the bus after my clubs is because I would have to wait for the later bus, but knowing there’s now a 4:45 bus encourages me to take that because I wouldn’t have to wait.”

An email was sent out on Nov. 24 in Lucci’s This Week @ West email, which informed the student body about this addition, and another email was sent out on Nov. 25 with more information.