CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Public Schools families met Monday to discuss how the district can prevent the busing issues it dealt with last fall.
Several CPS parents have voiced concerns about commutes after the elimination of Metro XTRA routes late last summer. Metro said the routes were eliminated because they didn’t have any bus drivers. Parents have said it adds time to commutes and makes things feel less safe.
In a problem-solving session organized by the Cincinnati Federation of Teachers, some students said the bus ride to school is the most stressful part of their day.
"We both deal with having to see and listen to crackheads," Woodward High School student Nia Brown said. "Like they sing to us and the perverts they look at us. We're minors so, it's uncomfortable."
Brown said other passengers will make inappropriate comments at her bus stop or on the bus.
"It makes me feel weird because it makes me feel like I don't want to get on the bus, even outside of going to school," Brown said.
Another concern mentioned was the length of time it takes students to get to school. Gail Jordan's granddaughter catches two buses to get to Walnut Hills.
"She's been late 47 times this school year," Jordan said. "And that's not a habit of hers, you know, in her whole school career. She's probably been late, maybe four or five times."
When the weather is bad, attendance gets worse.
"The absence rates have gone up, the attendance rates are lower than in the past," CFT president Julie Sellers said.
The district has already been exploring solutions. Last week, the CPS Board of Education voted to allow eligible 7th and 8th graders take yellow buses to and from school.
Metro officials say they are currently providing about 8,500 CPS student trips each school day. Metro’s current contract with CPS is set to expire on June 30. A CPS spokeswoman said the district has started conversations with SORTA regarding contract negotiations.
“We look forward to continued conversations with CPS leadership,” said Brandy Jones, Metro’s Sr. VP of External Affairs. “It is our hope – and we understand this is the district’s hope, as well – to reach a new agreement that continues to meet the district’s and its families’ needs within the scope of our current service capabilities. As always, we remain committed to providing the safest, most reliable service possible to all residents of Hamilton County.”
Students said they hope the school board and Metro take their concerns seriously.
"I just deal with it," said Brown. "We don't feel like our voices are heard if we tell somebody because nothing happens."
