Prince George’s County school bus transportation concerns continue
Prince George’s County school bus transportation concerns continue
After a rough first day of school for some Prince George’s County families, all eyes are on the school bus system Wednesday morning. The district says a technology failure and routing problems led to long delays, and in some cases, students spent nearly two hours on a bus.
PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - After a rough first day of school for some Prince George’s County families, all eyes are on the school bus system Wednesday morning. The district says a technology failure and routing problems led to long delays, and in some cases, students spent nearly two hours on a bus.
The big question Wednesday is whether day two will run any smoother. PGCPS says the technology issue that hit its new Chipmunk bus system Tuesday has been fixed. But the district is warning families that some routing problems may take longer to resolve.
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The trouble began early Tuesday when the Chipmunk system went down during the morning bus run. PGCPS says the system was restored by midday, but that was only part of the challenge. The district was also working through a backlog of students who still needed routes or route changes.
Some buses ran more than 45 minutes late, and students in specialty programs, including the Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, had rides approaching two hours.
Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph urged families to use Chipmunk to track their child’s bus information. The district is not promising a full fix Wednesday, saying delays and route changes could continue over the next several days as staff works through the backlog.
Parents are advised to check Chipmunk for route and arrival information before sending children out. And if a child still doesn’t have a correct route, the district says families should not place them on another bus. Instead, they should work with their school or transportation staff to get authorization for any temporary assignment.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Prince George’s County Schools.