Many SLPS students still without bus service 5 weeks into school

ST. LOUIS (KMOV) - Hundreds of St. Louis Public School students are still without school bus service. The district originally said the disruption in service would last 10 days, but now it’s closing in on five weeks.

“I wish that they would let us know what is going on,” Kallie Goodsite said.

Goodsite’s student hasn’t had bus service since the beginning of the year. She’s not the only one having issues.

“It’s like days that I don’t know where my kid is for a couple of hours,” Lauren Rea Preston said.

Some SLPS students don’t have bus service at all, while others have to deal with late buses and inconsistent schedules. Some parents said the issues stem from Missouri Central, St. Louis Public Schools’ bus service.

“They haven’t emailed us or said anything about what’s happening with the bus situation,” Goodsite explained.

Goodsite said she’s not getting communication from SLPS, while other parents said they’re trying to get ahold of Missouri Central and can’t.

“I am on hold on average for an hour to two hours when I wanna call,” Rea Preston said.

SLPS started using Missouri Central as its bus service this year. Parents News 4 talked to said they believe outsourcing buses is the root of the problem.

“We are at a huge disadvantage because we don’t own our buses so we can’t fix the problems within the district,” Rea Preston argued.

Other large school districts in the Metro, like Parkway and Rockwood, aren’t dealing with transportation challenges like SLPS. They have their own buses.

“I just don’t think they care cause if they cared, they’d tell us what’s happening,” Goodsite said.

News 4 has been asking Missouri Central for an interview for the past week. A representative sent this statement:

“We at Missouri Central School Bus continue to work tirelessly to fill our open bus driver positions. We have spent a considerable amount of time, effort, and resources on recruitment efforts.”

SLPS said it is working to develop a plan with a number of moving parts which it hopes to share with families very soon.

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