About 200 Lehi students now funnel through a single shuttle stop along Timpanogos Highway to reach Viewpoint Middle School, and parents say the first day showed the setup isn't safe.

Alpine School District replaced multiple neighborhood bus stops with one consolidated drop-off and pick-up point beginning with the 2026–27 school year for students who live across the highway from the school. The district classifies those neighborhoods as within walking distance of Viewpoint, making students ineligible for standard bus service under its two-mile threshold for secondary students.

On the first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 19, parents arrived to find no crossing guard, no staff managing the parking lot and no advance instructions beyond an address, according to ABC4. Kids waited by the road. Parents raised particular concern about morning drop-offs, when the rising sun blinds eastbound drivers on Timpanogos Highway.

"I was so shocked to see all the kids there waiting right by the road. For one, there wasn't a crossing guard, nobody to help with the parking lot, and we had no instructions of where to meet," one parent told the station.

Four buses cycle through the single location, carrying roughly 80 students per run. Parents said that if the district already has four buses, it should spread them across multiple neighborhoods rather than pack everyone into one chaotic stop.

District says it will evaluate

Rich Stowell, Alpine School District communications director, said a bus driver shortage forced the consolidation. He said the district plans to collect feedback during the first week of school and is willing to restore neighborhood stops if the data warrants it.

Stowell told ABC4 the decision was "well thought out" but said the district will review what is working and what is not, and will "pivot back to additional stops" if needed.

Transportation director Rex Brimhall, in a separate KUTV report on Thursday, Aug. 20, about district-wide walking route concerns, said budget constraints compound the driver shortage. He said the district once had enough drivers to cover routes beyond the eligibility threshold but can no longer afford to do so.

Sky bridge idea needs city approval

The district has floated the idea of a pedestrian sky bridge over Timpanogos Highway, but Stowell said any such project would require approval from Lehi City. No timeline or city response has been made public.

Viewpoint Middle, at 211 W. Traverse Terrace Drive, serves grades 7–9 and enrolls approximately 1,729 students. Parents who want to share feedback can contact Alpine School District's transportation office during the evaluation period through the week of Aug. 22.