New Franklin bus policy causes delays

Parents driving their children to school in Franklin Township encountered lengthy waits and heavy traffic backups Wednesday morning. The first day of classes marked the debut of the cash-strapped district’s new pay-to-ride program, which charges students about $50 monthly to ride the bus. Only about 1,800 students were expected to ride buses, leaving about 7,000 to get to school some other way. Only about 2,000 students didn’t ride the bus in previous years. School employees, security firm workers and about 20 Indianapolis police officers were used to help with traffic flow, but some classes were delayed.