this post was submitted on 16 Dec 2024
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Summary

School districts across the U.S. are reducing bus services due to driver shortages and shifting transportation responsibilities to families, disproportionately affecting low-income households.

In Chicago, where only 17,000 of 325,000 students are eligible for buses, parents are turning to alternatives like ride-hailing apps.

Startups such as Piggyback Network and HopSkipDrive provide school transportation by connecting parents or contracting directly with districts, offering safety measures like real-time tracking and driver vetting.

Critics warn these solutions don’t fully address systemic inequities, as many families still struggle to afford or access reliable school transportation.

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[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 86 points 2 days ago (3 children)

It would help if driving a bus wasn't such a shitty job. "Okay, we're gonna pay you for three hours in the morning, then you'll have a five hour break, then we'll pay you another three hours. So it'll be an 11 hour day and we'll pay you for six of them. But you get a break!

[–] kent_eh@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 day ago

When I was a kid, most of the school bus drivers were farmers who drove as a side job, and went back to doing their usual farm work during the middle of the day.

[–] ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's not that shitty, maybe. In the district where I work, we get $31 an hour (for about 5 hours a day), health insurance (the main reason I do it) and eventually a small pension. The break in the middle of the day is great since I can go for a bike ride and have lunch and a long nap, and I can take my elderly parents to doctors' appointments as necessary. In other districts it does suck though, since the pay can be much less (more like $18-22 an hour) with no benefits.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

I've heard of a lot of people who drive a bus for the health insurance. Maybe their partner has a decent job that can cover most expenses, but no decent health plan. It's an alternative for some. It shouldn't be, but that's another issue.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Yeah, there are certainly worse jobs. Just that getting paid for 25 hours while effectively being busy for 50 hours a week (with breaks between) is a huge drawback.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 55 points 2 days ago (1 children)

“Oh, and you get to deal with kids the whole time but with almost no power to enforce the rules. What do you mean you want a bus monitor?”

My kid could take the bus but doesn’t because they’re overcrowded and rife with bullying.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 23 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Yep, that's been our experience. We have a niece who got a concussion from a bully (aluminum water bottle) and really nothing changed (so her parents had to find a way to get her off the bus). Two school years back and in a different area, there were so few drivers that my kiddo would come home at completely unpredictable times, anywhere from "on-time", up to 2 hours late, with very little communication. And we could basically see the school from our house.

Needless to say we no longer see the school bus as viable. Our society can't even get our kids to and from school in a functional way anymore. Things are really bad.

Edit: missed a word, grammar

[–] VeganCheesecake@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I assume there wasn't a walking path even though the school was rather close?

Still sometimes shocked when hearing about how little public transport the U.S. has. I walked home by myself in my last year of primary school, then took the metro/bus in secondary school, which was pretty much normal.

[–] Benjaben@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There was no walking path, no. There was, however, a huge stretch of unused farm land between the neighborhood and the school. The owners of the land fought bitterly to prevent access.