Buses are scheduled to depart from school grounds everyday at 3:12 p.m with both George Mason High School and Mary Ellen Henderson students.

Unlike the schedule used for the first two weeks of school, where students from GMHS were picked up separately at the Mason bus loop around 3:25 p.m, high school students are now required to walk to the MEH loop where middle schoolers are already boarding the buses.

Now, with the bus schedule change, students from both schools are sharing seats with each other.

“I hate it,” said junior Hannah Dunie. “There’s so many middle schoolers on my bus, and they’re loud and they take up so much space… It’s so much hotter on our bus. It’s not nice.”

The change came on September 19, due to complaints from both students and parents about how late the buses were arriving.

While some students are beginning to adjust, most seem to agree that these changes have made bus rides less comfortable and have added to the daily stresses of commuting home from school.

“I need my space,” said sophomore Manny Monje, who also agreed that the buses were overcrowded.

Though high school students appeared to have been less than thrilled with these adjustments, some of the students at MEH seemed far less bothered.

Although the changes were driven by complaints, they were not expected by Director of Transportation for FCCPS Nancy Hendrickson.

“I anticipated a short wait for George Mason students, but it was taking longer then expected to return to GM for their bus routes,” said Hendrickson.

The solution to one problem, however, sometimes leads to another. While wait times have been shortened, Hendrickson admitted there are “still some concerns” with overcrowding. For students, the hassle of taking the bus home from school will continue on for at least the remainder of the year.