Impact of CPS bus shortage felt citywide

CHICAGO — More than halfway through the school year, many Chicago Public Schools students still face daily transportation challenges.

It’s a sticky issue for thousands of families who attend magnet or selective enrollment schools.

Last August, CPS cut bus service for 30% of its students, leaving many to rely on a hodgepodge of public transportation, to get to and from their schools.

WGN Investigates spoke with families who said their children’s daily commute takes hours, and often begins before dawn.

And the district appears to have no solution to the challenge.  

“CPS is saying that they’ve left no stone unturned – that it’s a national bus shortage,” said Erin Schubert, of Parents for Buses. “But there are a lot of things that they can be doing.”

CPS no longer offers families stipends, something the district did back in 2021, due to an impending budget deficit.

Parents have proposed solutions, including having children ride on buses that transport students with disabilities. That service has not been cut.

WGN Investigates recently witnessed one of those buses, dropping off children at a North Side School. It was practically empty.

But CPS shot down that proposal.

“All we are saying is let our students get on at hubs before those students,” Schubert said. “You don’t increase their travel time.”

Meanwhile, bus vendors contacted by WGN Investigates said they have available drivers but were turned down by CPS because of the cost.

“I would say that this [issue] is going to continue …and it’s going to continue through next year,” said Molly McGee, of the National Association for Pupil Transportation.

The association is monitoring the issue in Chicago and nationwide, in hopes of finding an affordable and comprehensive solution.

“We are thinking that if we can create a license that is for school bus drivers only, that it might be a way to help people to embrace the profession and make sure the training is there and be ready for it,” McGee said.