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School bus 'hotlines' are calming nervous parents during back-to-school week

Pasco County has more than 100 staff helping out
Posted at 3:27 AM, Aug 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-16 06:38:38-04

LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. -- Matt Koshko is the man for the job.

He is calm and concerned. 

When a mom calls Pasco County’s school bus “hotline” to say her son was dropped off in the wrong place, Matt knows just how to help her.

“It’s very stressful on our end because we sympathize for the parents,” says Koshko. “It’s very stressful on their end because it’s their baby and they want them safe.”

Matt is one of more than 100 county workers called in to help at Pasco County Schools transportation call center, a first-week back-to-school service intended to help parents navigate new bus routes, bus stops and more.

The service mixes a human touch with immediate digital help.

Hillsborough County also has a similar system.

On the first day of school, this Pasco hub received more than 400 calls during the morning shift. And more than 700 calls in the afternoon.

The most worried callers? Younger parents with kids in kindergarten and early grades. 

After this first week, the volume of calls is expected to decrease.

For more information on Pasco County Schools transportation, visit www.pasco.k12.fl.us/transportation.