Near the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the 43 Masonic bus changed its stop, impacting students and parents.

The original bus stop was located at the front of Archbishop Riordan on Frida Kahlo Way, dropping off individuals right at the school’s sidewalk. A convenient way for students to enter the building, but not for others. The bus stop, while convenient for students, presented a severe traffic inconvenience.

Mary Dalton, an English teacher who takes the 43 about every week, shared that when the original bus stop was still running, “parents couldn’t pick up students.” 

The inconvenience to pickup traffic was compounded by the threat of a 288 dollar ticket for any drivers deemed to be parked in a bus stop, adding a further layer of confusion to the previous arrangement.

Though many would agree that the shift is beneficial, there are also drawbacks. Jonathan Krueger ’24, has been taking the 43 since his sophomore year. He had no trouble with the stop, until this year. 

“A lot of people are late because of it.”

He and other students state that it’s an inconvenience for them. Some have even reported being late and receiving detention for crossing the street on a red light when they were running late. One of the students, Aaron Peakes ’25, has received detention for this reason.

He stated, “I crossed the street and I got detention.”

Peakes reported that he was rushing to school after being dropped off at the new stop, and on the brink of being late he had to cross the street to avoid detention. This didn’t work out in his favor due to the new crossing policy, so in the end he received a detention.

The transition, impacting nearly the entire Riordan student body,  will demonstrate its benefits and drawbacks in time.