Answers to Top Transportation Questions

Nearly 20,000 families and community members joined district leaders for a town hall on Wednesday, September 2 to address back-to-school transportation challenges and the work underway to stabilize routes, improve communication and deliver more reliable service.  

Here are answers to the questions families are asking most.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Q: My child was registered before July 31 but did not have transportation when school opened. What is the status?

A: At the opening of school, approximately 10,000 students needed transportation assignments. We have made substantial progress addressing that initial backlog. We are continuing to identify and correct incomplete assignments, inaccurate stops, and other transportation problems. Our standard is not simply whether an assignment appears in the system. Our goal is for every eligible student to have complete, functioning transportation. Families should check ParentVUE for their child’s current transportation assignment.

Q: You said the original backlog had been addressed, but my child still has a transportation problem. How can both things be true?

A: The original 10,000 figure primarily represented students without transportation assignments. We subsequently identified additional issues, including students with incomplete morning or afternoon transportation and other routing errors. We should have been clearer about that distinction. If your child’s transportation is not functioning properly, we consider that work unfinished.

LONG RIDE TIMES AND ROUTE CHANGES

Q: Why is my child spending more than an hour, and sometimes significantly longer, on the bus?

A: Some specialty programs serve students across large geographic areas, which can create longer routes.

However, we are actively reviewing routes with excessive travel times to determine where adjustments can safely reduce those rides.

Over the next several weeks, we will continue adjusting stops, balancing bus loads, and modifying routes as enrollment and ridership stabilize.

Q: Why did my child’s pickup or drop off time suddenly change?

A: Routes are being adjusted as additional students are assigned and transportation patterns stabilize. Families should continue checking ParentVUE for the most current transportation assignment and schedule information. We recognize that changes can disrupt family schedules, and our goal is to stabilize routes as quickly as possible.

Q: What is being done when a student has transportation in the morning but not in the afternoon, or vice versa?

A: That is an incomplete transportation assignment, and we are treating those cases as a priority for correction. A student does not have complete transportation simply because one portion of the route is assigned.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Q: Why couldn’t parents get anyone on the phone during the first week?

A: The volume of transportation concerns exceeded our ability to respond effectively. That is not the level of service families deserve. We are expanding customer service capacity and strengthening how concerns are received, tracked, assigned, and followed through to resolution.

Q: What should I do right now if my child’s transportation problem has not been resolved?

A: First, check ParentVUE for your child’s current transportation assignment.

If the assignment is missing, incomplete, incorrect, or another transportation issue remains unresolved, email bushelp@pgcps.org.

Families will receive acknowledgment within 24 hours that their concern has been Received.

That does not mean every issue will be resolved within 24 hours. It means families will know their concern has entered the process for review and resolution.

If your home or daycare address is incorrect, contact your child’s school so that information can be corrected in the student information system.

Q: Why should parents believe another email address or ticket system will work?

A: Families should judge this process by whether they receive better service. Our responsibility is to make sure concerns are received, tracked, assigned, and followed through to resolution. We are expanding capacity specifically to improve that process.

We understand that trust will come from performance, not from announcing another System.

TECHNOLOGY

Q: Was the problem caused by Chipmunk or BusPlanner?

A: We are reviewing the entire transportation process, including our internal routing practices, technology systems, implementation, training, and vendor support.

It would be premature to attribute the breakdown to one factor before that review is Complete.

Our focus now is making sure the entire system supports safe, accurate, and reliable Transportation.

Q: Why did the Chipmunk app experience problems on the first day of school?

A: The application experienced a significant increase in usage during the opening morning and was temporarily unavailable. Service was restored later that day.

We are reviewing what occurred with our technology partners and what changes are necessary to improve reliability during periods of high demand.

Q: Is PGCPS going to stop using Chipmunk or change transportation Technology?

A: We are evaluating our transportation technology and its performance as part of the broader review. No final decision has been made. Our standard is straightforward: the technology must support accurate routing, reliable transportation, and useful information for families.

Q: Where should families check their child’s official transportation assignment?

A: ParentVUE is the primary source for your child’s official transportation assignment.

When your child has an active route, Chipmunk can provide available bus location and status information.

LEADERSHIP AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Q: Who is leading Transportation now?

A: Dr. Mark Fossett is serving as Acting Director of Transportation and is leading the department’s stabilization work with support from district leadership and the transportation team.

Our immediate priority is providing strong operational leadership while we stabilize transportation for families.

Q: Why didn’t the Superintendent and senior leadership know before the first day that the transportation problems were this significant?

A: The magnitude of the problem was not elevated to senior leadership early enough.

The Superintendent has taken responsibility for that organizational failure.

We are now strengthening our internal controls, reporting, and cross functional oversight so significant transportation risks are identified earlier and communicated directly to district leadership. The important question now is not simply what went wrong, but what we are changing to prevent it from happening again.

Q: Has anyone been held accountable for what happened?

A: We are examining the operational, leadership, technology, and communication issues that contributed to the opening of school challenges. We will make decisions based on the facts and the needs of the organization. Because individual personnel matters are confidential, we will not discuss specific employee actions publicly.

Q: What is the plan for permanent Transportation leadership?

A: Our immediate focus is stabilizing transportation operations and ensuring strong leadership is in place during this transition. Any decisions regarding the permanent leadership structure will be communicated when they are finalized.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY

Q: How will families know whether transportation is actually improving?

A: We will measure improvement based on the experience families actually have:

Does the student have complete transportation?

Does the bus arrive reliably?

Is the ride safe and reasonable?

And when something goes wrong, can the family get accurate information and timely assistance?

Those are the outcomes that matter.

Q: Will PGCPS continue publicly reporting transportation progress?

A: Yes. We are committed to continuing regular transportation updates for families as the system stabilizes. Those updates will focus on information families can use, including transportation assignments, route stabilization, service concerns, and improvements to customer support.

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Q: There have been allegations of bullying, harassment, or other workplace culture problems in Transportation. What are you doing about those concerns?

A: We take concerns about workplace culture seriously. We do not discuss individual personnel matters publicly, but employees must have a professional environment in which they can raise concerns and perform their work effectively.

District leadership is working with employees, managers, and labor partners to strengthen communication, workplace climate, and accountability within Transportation.

Any allegations of misconduct will be handled through the appropriate district Processes.

Q: Why did the Transportation Director leave during this crisis?

A: There has been a leadership transition in the Transportation Department.

Because employment matters involve individual personnel considerations, I do not believe it is appropriate to discuss those details publicly.

Our responsibility now is to ensure strong leadership, operational stability, and reliable transportation for students.

Q: What should parents expect from PGCPS now?

A: Three things: Complete transportation. Reliable transportation. Responsive customer service.

Ultimately, the standard is simple: get children to school safely and reliably, protect their access to instruction, and give families accurate information when something goes Wrong. That is what we are working to deliver.