CINCINNATI — The superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools says there’s no “quick fix” when it comes to transportation challenges, but she said things are improving.
The district’s on-time rate is now about 80%, according to Superintendent Iranetta Wright, which is up from 35% at the start of the year.
Parents have complained for months about issues with busing, including late buses and buses that never showed up.
Last month, Dennis Booker told us his daughter’s school bus was running about two hours late. When it finally arrived, his daughter didn’t show up.
“I don't know where my daughter is at and I'm freaking out,” he said.
The district said Booker’s daughter deceived the driver and planned to exit at another stop with a friend. The bus was operated by CPS contractor Universal Transportation Systems (UTS).
CPS does not directly employ bus drivers, but provides contracted yellow bus transportation through First Student, UTS and Petermann.
“She's a 10-year-old she can't make that kind of decision,” Booker said. “If her parents ain't there waiting for (her) at the bus stop then you do not let her off.”
A representative from UTS said kids in grades older than kindergarten are able to get off the bus at their stop freely.
According to the district, for students K-8 that receive yellow bus service, regular and substitute bus drivers have on-board a current student roster to take attendance with route and assigned stop information. Bus drivers are notified when any route or stops are changed and receive a new route sheet before they leave their bus depot. The district said drivers are expected to review the route in advance.
It’s not the only concern WCPO has received from parents this year.
“I'm not getting any answers,” M’Elise Millennor told WCPO in August. “My kid is being left at school for hours on end because I can't leave work. What am I supposed to do?”
Millennor said her child’s bus ran about two hours behind schedule on the morning of the first day of school. After school, she picked her child up after they weren’t dropped off more than an hour after they were supposed to be.
“Any child not being picked up as a problem,” Wright said. “Any child not being picked up on time is the problem.”
Wright pointed to challenges including the national driver shortage and district-wide efforts to optimize routes. That effort led CPS to stack some bus routes.
“One bus picks up the first group takes that group to school, drops them off, goes back to get another group,” she said. “You have a group that is going to be late to get into school and a group that's going to be late getting picked up from school. Currently, we don't have other options.”
While most schools in the district have seen delays, the district said certain campuses have been most impacted by transportation delays due to stacked routes on yellow buses. The schools include Western Hills High School, Taft High School, Dater High School, Shroder High School, Gamble Montessori High School and the School for Creative and Performing Art.
The district is down about 20 buses. At the start of the year, Wright said they were down about 40 buses.
“This is not a quick fix,” Wright said. “It is not something that I can say between now and the end of this school year is going to be rectified. It is going to take all of us to get involved to get engaged in feedback so that we can give our parents the best that we possible can.”
The district plans to host town halls in January and February of next year. Wright said solutions could include staggering more start times or looking at the possibility of a “hub system” like Metro uses with buses.
For parents, concerns continue.
“I can't have my baby wandering out in the streets because you don't have the consistency to drop her off at her prescribed route,” Booker said.
Parents that need help can call CPS Transportation at 513-363-RIDE (7433) Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. If it is an emergency and after hours, parents can call: 513-363-0345
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Cincinnati Public Schools addresses busing issues after father says childrens' bus never came on the first day
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