Parents express mixed feelings about new CPS bus company
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ)
Some parents of students who attend Columbia Public Schools are not pleased with a new bus company the district rolled out, two days into the school year.
CPS debuted its new bus service, DS Bus Lines during its first day of school on Tuesday, after it signed a three-year contract in February. The new company’s buses have safety features including GPS tracking for parents to track the bus in real time, and cameras inside and outside the buses.
CPS said roughly 8,000 students are enrolled to take the bus. The deadline for late opt in is Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Steve Tubbesing is the grandfather to an 11- and 8-year-old who attend Jefferson Middle School and Ridgeway Elementary. According to Tubessing, the two have to take two buses to get to their school everyday. On Monday afternoon, he said the two were dropped off at a stop about 16 miles away from their actual bus stop– near Mount Zion Road.
“I guess the main thing is on what planet is it OK to let a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old off of the school bus if it isn’t their stop? I honestly don’t know what the bus driver was thinking,” Tubessing said.
Tubessing said his son-in-law frantically reached out to the bus company multiple times trying to find out where his children were, but couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone. He used a “ping” on his daughter’s cellphone to find them and pick them up.
“Thank god my son-in-law had find my phone app on his phone so he could find her phone,” Tubessing said. “You know, everybody’s scrambling to try and find where they’re at so that nothing happens to them….it was just a nightmare.”
Tubessing said his 8-year-old granddaughter was also left at Benton Elementary School, instead of Ridgeway Elementary, the school she attends.
Tubessing said his son-in-law reached out to CPS regarding the incident. An email ABC 17 News obtained shows the district said DS Bus Lines launched an investigation into the complaint and requested the video footage. The district also said it is working on strengthening communication.
CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark told ABC 17 News via email that the district cannot comment on individual student information. She said anytime there are route issues, CPS investigates it and works to address it. Baumstark said CPS asks for patience while they work through the new company.
“We had a good start yesterday and again this morning. We did have a couple of buses that were running behind in the afternoon yesterday. We’re working today to make some adjustments to improve the timing for those routes. We’ll continue to improve over the next several days,” Baumstark said.
After all of the late requests for transportation are completed, CPS will be able to launch the family mobile app, Baumstark said. However, some parents are having opposite experiences with the new bus company.
Jordan Jones, the mother to a 12-year-old boy who attends Bethel Street Center said she contacted DS in a panic on Tuesday when her son didn’t get off the bus at his usual time, but was unable to get a hold of anyone.
“I need to be able to know where my child is and know that my child is safe,” Jones said. “The concern is over my child’s safety especially because now there’s this new Missouri law that students aren’t allowed to have their cell phones in the schools. Even if he had a cell phone which he doesn’t, he wouldn’t have been allowed to have it with him.”
Ivy Williams is the mother to a kindergartener and attends Rosetta Avenue. Williams said her experience has improved drastically compared to Student Transportation of America.
“I think in the morning they were maybe like two minutes late, in the afternoon, maybe about five minutes late. But, I kind of expect that because how are they gonna make it to me in like five, 10 minutes,” Williams said. “Last year, even for pick-up or drop-off they were anywhere between 30 minutes to 45 minutes late.”
ABC 17 News reached out to DS Bus Lines for comment.