Written by Mariana Padilla
Across the country, families are struggling with school transportation. Around 34% of American children ride the bus to and from school,[1] and for many of those, it is their sole means of school transportation. However, this critical resource is failing. A nationwide shortage of school bus drivers, caused by a variety of factors, has resulted in late drop-offs, canceled routes, and overcrowded buses. Extracurricular activities have also been impacted. School officials in Maine and Colorado recently notified parents that bus service for school sports cannot be guaranteed, and a New Hampshire middle school indefinitely postponed their soccer teams’ away games.[2]
With no end in sight to the bus driver shortage, school administrators are looking for solutions to this complex issue. Some of these include higher wages, benefits for part-time work, and even training teachers to drive buses. In some areas, Uber and Lyft are being used to close the transportation gap. All-in-all, we applaud school administrators for their creativity in seeking a variety of solutions to get students to school.
However, the question remains- are these sustainable, long-term solutions? While the advent of Uber, Lyft, Lime, and other micro-transit options have created new methods of getting where you need to go, for many parents, the thought of trusting their children’s transportation needs to a stranger is an anxiety-inducing prospect. It’s imperative that school districts provide transportation solutions that parents can trust.
CarpooltoSchool is one option that can help permanently solve this transportation crisis. CarpooltoSchool, with easy-to-use, school-branded mobile and web apps, enables school administrators to provide parents with a trusted option for school transportation. Leveraging the power of technology, the CarpooltoSchool platform allows districts to easily streamline carpools, thus reducing reliance on the struggling the yellow bus system. So whether it’s carpooling, walking, biking or even taking public transit together, schools are able to provide a safe and reliable way for their students to get to school. Your school can explore this option today by scheduling a demo. Here’s the link to get started.
[1] https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=67
