CINCINNATI — After years of ongoing transportation problems, Cincinnati Public Schools Superintendent Iranetta Wright said they’ve finally found a solution.
Wright said more than 1,200 CPS buses are now consistently getting students to school on time.
It's having a huge impact on families. Last year, parent Carol Fiel said busing was a nightmare. Now, it’s a completely different story.
"So much better," Fiel said. "Oh my goodness, it's night and day."
Fiel has six children who go to the School for Creative and Performing Arts. She said she had to drive her kids to school almost every day because their bus wouldn't show up.
"And then waiting an hour for a bus that never picks them up after school," she said. "It was horrible."
At the start of last school year, Wright said 65% of buses were consistently late.
"We knew that we had a problem, but we didn't just stay with the fact we had a problem," Wright said.
So the district came up with a plan. CPS adjusted school start times, stacked bus routes and improved the district’s transportation hotline. The hotline is now run by CPS employees, rather than being contracted out.
"And guess what? It worked," Wright said.
Now, less than 1% of buses are consistently running late.
"This year, they go out and the bus is there," Fiel said. "The bus comes!"
Fiel said now that her kids are getting to school on time, their academic performance has improved as a result.
CPS father Derek Drifmeyer said in his experience, it's still a work in progress.
"The bus has been coming every day," Drifmeyer said. "It is consistently 10-15 minutes late, but at least it is showing up every day."
There are still about 10 to 12 buses that are consistently late. Wright said the district knows that is not okay.
"We're not giving up. We're not conceding," Wright said. "But we have to celebrate that the other over 1,200 buses are getting the kids to school on time."
Fiel said she's been impressed by the district's efforts to address the problem.
"I didn't feel heard last year, it was miserable," said Fiel. "And this year, it’s just such a relief. I'm overjoyed that we have buses again, yay!"
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