Prince George’s County school bus troubles persist through first week

LAUREL, Md. - It has been a difficult week for many Prince George’s County Public Schools families as they struggle to get children to class amid ongoing transportation problems. Parents are demanding immediate fixes for thousands of students left without reliable bus service.

What we know:

During a Thursday night school board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph said the rollout of the district’s new bus‑routing system deserved a grade of "F." Frustrated parents told board members about long waits for buses and a lack of information, while bus drivers said they are being asked to manage issues they cannot solve on their own.

RELATED: PGCPS bus problems enter day 3 as families demand answers

Ten thousand students did not have assigned bus routes on the first day of school, leading to widespread delays. The district’s new Chipmunk routing app also crashed that morning, compounding the problems. Dr. Joseph apologized to families, saying this was not how he expected his first week on the job to go, and pledged to correct the issues.

The transportation problems affected about 10,000 of the district’s 85,000 bus riders. Dr. Joseph said the transportation department is adding four routing technicians, an additional scheduler and a routing supervisor. He also outlined plans to improve training and communication with families. The district acknowledges a backlog of incomplete or incorrect routes, and a driver shortage is forcing some routes to be combined or doubled.

Dr. Joseph said staff will work around the clock to complete the backlog and assign students to routes by Saturday, then shift focus to improving ride times.

RELATED: PGCPS superintendent gives bus rollout an ‘F,’ promises to clear route backlog by Saturday

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