On weekdays before dawn, 7-year-old Laike Glesne would navigate his way from a Chicago public bus, transferring to a train and then another train, to reach his second-grade class, which was located 20 miles from his home.

During the two-hour journey to school last year, Laike and his mother, Marissa Lichwick-Glesne, encountered homeless individuals resting on the sidewalks, party-goers returning home, and people shouting obscenities. They wouldn’t return home until 7 p.m., leaving little time for Laike to participate in any after-school activities.

Marissa had not anticipated this tough morning commute when deciding to enroll Laike at Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center, a school for students who excel academically, since kindergarten. However, at the start of last school year, Chicago Public Schools announced the suspension of bus services for 5,500 students enrolled in magnet and selective programs located far from their residences due to a shortage of bus drivers.

In a state of panic, Lichwick-Glesne thought, “How will I get him to school?”

Chicago Public Schools reinforced this decision again this year, alongside numerous other districts across the nation that have significantly reduced or completely removed bus services in recent years.

The bus driver shortage, which worsened during the pandemic, has become a persistent issue for educational institutions. The yellow school bus, once a quintessential part of American education, ensuring children could attend school, is now so hard to come by that many parents are resorting to ridesharing services and adjusting their work schedules to transport their children. Between September 2019 and September 2023, the number of bus drivers saw a 15% decline, as reported by the Economic Policy Institute.

As a result, thousands of students now lack bus transportation this year. Many families in Hawaii’s Central Oahu and East Hawaii Island received notices they would have no school bus service this fall, per an announcement from the state’s Department of Education. The Houston Independent School District also eliminated bus services, aiming to save $3 million during the 2024-25 school year. Moreover, the Jefferson County Board of Education in Kentucky scrapped bus routes for kids attending both traditional and magnet schools in the state’s largest district.

These districts are part of a larger trend where schools have curtailed students’ access to reliable bus transportation.

In the wake of these changes, many frustrated parents have had to seek alternative ways to get their children to school, such as using rideshare options, public transit, or carpooling.

Education specialists are concerned about how inadequate transportation will affect student attendance and academic performance in the long run.

When school officials cut bus routes, student learning suffers due to missed instructional time, according to Michael Gottfried, a professor and applied economist at the University of Pennsylvania who specializes in education economics and policy. Chronic absenteeism rates nearly doubled, from 15% to 26%, between 2018 and 2023, as noted in a report from the American Enterprise Institute, which defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school year.

“Removing a reliable way for kids to get to school is deeply problematic,” Gottfried stated. “This could have been a dependable solution for families during the ongoing absenteeism crisis.”

Parents are in a tough spot finding transportation

Until early August, Lichwick-Glesne often felt overwhelmed with emotion, knowing her son had no school-funded transportation option. She was particularly worried because she has epilepsy and does not hold a driver’s license. She and her husband frequently engaged in discussions about the best way to ensure their son gets to school.

Fortunately, their situation improved on August 2 when they learned Laike was accepted to a nearby gifted school just a mile away. This school year, they only take one public bus to get to school, allowing them to sleep in later and return home earlier, according to Lichwick-Glesne. While they still lack access to a school bus, she feels they are among the fortunate few.

They appreciated the old school, but “We had no choice because we lost bus service,” she explained.

Feeling frustrated by the situation, Lichwick-Glesne decided to join Chicago Parents for School Buses, advocating for the Chicago Public Schools to seek transportation solutions for low-income families.

Another member, Paul Wargaski, shared his insights on the ongoing issues.

A parent in a support group has two children on the autism spectrum enrolled in magnet and specialized schools. His children qualify for transportation services offered by the school district. One child uses a carpool to get to school, while the other is taken via a rideshare service by a driver.

Previously, both children traveled to school on a yellow school bus alongside several peers, which he much preferred.

Although the current arrangements work for his family, last school year he had to adjust his work shifts or reschedule his day to manage pickups and drop-offs. He longs for the yellow bus option as it provided his children with a chance to socialize with their classmates.

While parents in Chicago have adapted to using alternative transportation for their children, families in New Jersey are still advocating against their school district’s decision to cut bus routes due to budget constraints.

In Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, bus routes have become so limited that a group of students produced a hip-hop video through their music arts program titled “Where my bus at?” to ask school officials about the situation.

This year, Braylon Blocker, a 12-year-old student, faced the possibility of losing his bus access along with his classmates. Ultimately, transportation was cut for students attending all but two magnet and traditional schools, with some attending the Academies of Louisville. According to Mark Hebert, a spokesperson for Jefferson County Public Schools, the decision was due to a shortage of bus drivers.

Facing this transportation threat inspired Blocker to collaborate with the hip-hop program HHN2L and his fellow students to create the video. The video gained popularity, prompting many individuals nationwide to share their own experiences with bus cuts in their districts, noted NyRee Clayton-Taylor, a leader of HHN2L.

Blocker mentioned that he frequently hears fellow students at school singing “Where my bus at?” since the video’s rise in popularity. While the song’s reception brings him a sense of fulfillment, it also saddens him to realize how many kids and families across the country are facing similar challenges.

“What I truly desire is for every child to have a bus, relieving parents of morning conversations about drop-offs,” he expressed.

Nationwide decline in school bus services

The issue predates the pandemic, as indicated by data from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education, which shows a steady decline in yellow school bus services from 2013 to 2019, according to School Bus Fleet data.

During the 2019-2020 school year, many schools were closed due to COVID-19, leading to job losses and inadequate pay for school bus drivers. Many drivers sought alternative employment by the time schools reopened. The national shortage of drivers has escalated into a crisis, with data revealing a significant decrease from 2019 to 2023.

Last year, every state reported at least one significant shortage of school bus drivers, according to an analysis by YSL News.

How did we arrive at this situation?

School buses became common in the early 1900s, as schools began consolidating from single-classroom buildings to larger facilities for more students, as noted by the Smithsonian.

After the Supreme Court ruled against segregation in public schools with the Brown v. Board of Education decision, buses were utilized to help desegregate schools and ensure all children had access to their neighborhood schools, as explained by Paul Reville, a Harvard educational policy and administration professor.

Today, only a limited number of students have access to yellow bus transportation.

Primary transportation is allocated for homeless students and, in some cases, those with special needs, as schools are mandated by federal law to provide transport for these children. Additionally, some states require districts to accommodate students living far from their schools.

Currently, the practice of providing bus transportation mainly for students who reside far from school reflects a shift from the past when desegregation was the focus, according to Reville. This transition is partly attributed to increased school choice and budget constraints, along with a shortage of drivers.

Alternative solutions: carpools and rideshares

To assist families, several district leaders and principals have begun exploring alternatives such as public transport options, rideshare services, and mileage reimbursements.

Hawaii is providing mileage reimbursements to families who drive their children to school or carpool with others, as well as offering public transport passes. The governor has issued an emergency declaration allowing students to be transported in various vehicles, while also relaxing bus driver certification requirements.

Chicago Public Schools is planning to pilot another solution: establishing bus stop locations for groups of students to access buses. This “hub stop” initiative, which is already being implemented in parts of the U.S., will launch in the fall, according to Barragan.

More families are turning to rideshare services or carpooling. Districts in states such as Colorado, Florida, and Indiana have incorporated rideshare services to support students eligible for school transportation since the pandemic began.

For more information, contact Kayla Jimenez   on X at @kaylajjimenez.