Bus vendor cancellations create chaos as school opens in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS — The first day of school was chaotic for many St. Louis families Monday after three bus vendors pulled out at the last minute, leaving hundreds of parents scrambling to get their kids to classes.

St. Louis Public Schools has been struggling to devise a plan to get kids to classes since March, when Missouri Central School Bus Co. canceled its 2024-25 school year contract with the district, which serves about 19,600 students. Unable to find a single vendor as a replacement, the solution involved a combination of using other school bus companies, metro buses, taxis and other shuttle services.

But the district announced Saturday that three vendors provided notice this month that they wouldn't be able to provide buses, after all. While some parents were given gas cards to pay for transporting their own kids to school, the district was still working on alternative plans.

“As a result of bus and driver shortages, this continues to lead to disruptions for St. Louis Public Schools,” a statement from the district read. “We understand the challenges that bus and driver shortages have presented for our families, and we are working tirelessly to find solutions and minimize disruptions to our students.”

Parents and volunteers spent Monday morning standing at bus stops and taking other steps to help make sure that kids were safe and that their rides showed up. Others worked to coordinate rides.

Tracy Fantini was among those who volunteered at a bus stop. She has a sixth grader and a sophomore in St. Louis schools. They carpool, and Fantini started a Facebook page — SLPS Family Carpool Connection — to help other families come up with transportation.

By midday, Fantini had heard some success stories from parents — and some failures, including tales of transportation not showing up.

“I’ve always said if we can’t get the kids to school, none of the rest matters,” Fantini said. “My hope is that they will all get to school like they’re supposed to, and kids will not be left behind because they have no transportation.”

One of the bus companies, Xtra Care Transportation, notified the district Saturday that it would not be able to provide six buses that had been scheduled to transport 1,000 students to 23 schools. The district didn't say why. Parents were informed by email and told they could pick up a gas card.

Shuttles Pro informed the district Wednesday that it would provide 25 buses, not the 45 originally planned. Parents assigned to Shuttles Pro were given gas cards.

Victorious Life International, a nonprofit based in Swansea, Illinois, told the district Aug. 9 that it was unable to acquire 10 buses it planned to use in St. Louis.

The district didn't say how many students were affected by the pullouts of Shuttles Pro and Victorious Life International.

Phone messages were left Monday with all three bus service providers. It wasn't immediately clear what consequences they could face for the late decision to opt out of service.

District spokesperson George Sells told reporters this month that the district would be “evaluating how this system works and looking for other options, looking for other ways to do this. And I would say that everything is on the table.”

Missouri Central said in a statement in March that the company asked the St. Louis district for additional money “to address unprecedented industry inflation and a nationwide school bus driver shortage.” The school district said the company sought an extra $2 million. When the district refused, Missouri Central opted out for the 2024-25 school year.

In February, a Black mechanic for Missouri Central said he found a noose at his workstation, which he believed was meant to send a racist message to intimidate him after an argument with a manager over Mitchell’s concern that some bus brakes were inadequate. Missouri Central officials said the racism allegations “provided irreparable harm to their reputation," the district said in March.

In August 2023, Kentucky's largest school district was beset by first-day problems. A redesign of Louisville's bus routes resulted in some students not getting picked up in the morning or arriving home hours late — some after dark. The district serves about 96,000 students.