BPS eyes hackathon-style event to solve bus problems

Burdened by inefficient bus routes and out-ofbalance bell times, Boston Public School officials are turning to computer science experts to help them solve the costly problem.

In the hopes of finding a solution, BPS is hosting an April 1 hackathon-style event at District Hall in the Seaport District, where some of Boston’s brainiest experts from Harvard, MIT, Boston University and Northeastern will brainstorm ideas to simplify challenges caused by bus routes and bell times.

The goal, officials say, is to revolutionize the routing system that has its roots in the 1970s — when the district used string and pins to represent routes and stops — and make the system more efficient, cost-effective and responsive to the city’s 30,000 student bus riders.

“We have a very complicated problem in BPS transportation,” BPS Chief of Operations Jon Hanlon said. “We have 642 buses on the road every day. ... It is an immense mathematical problem. We think our routes can be more efficient. We think we can cut down on costs.”

In addition to dealing with buses arriving late to school, the district is also contending with a complicated school start-time schedule with three different bells — 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. — a system that has frustrated the parents of students at the later schools, whose children get out late into the evening.

The district says it would like all of its buses to serve three schools each morning at each of the three times.

Transportation costs amounted to $110 million, or 11 percent of the district’s budget, in fiscal year 2016.

Challenge participants, who will be given data sets, will have to propose solutions that are efficient, cheaper and meet preferences of the community.

The first challenge — the bus route problem — will be addressed from April to mid-May. The bell time challenge will last from May to June.

The winning solutions will be presented to schools and families for input, BPS officials said.