CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Amidst the nationwide school bus driver shortage, Chicago Public Schools has announced that it will not be able to provide bus service to all of its students on the first day of school.
With three weeks to go until classes begin on Aug. 21, CPS’ executive director of student transportation services Kimberly Jones wrote to families and said the school district has filled about half of the driver positions needed to provide transport to all CPS students.
That’s why the Chicago Board of Education will be prioritizing those who are legally required to receive transportation: students with disabilities, as well as students experiencing homelessness or living in temporary situations.
The goal is to ensure that each of these students has transportation within two weeks of the start of the school year, officials said. More information about requesting transportation service can be found here.
So far, CPS officials said they have confirmed school transportation for more than 7,000 priority students. Families of more than 3,000 other students have accepted a $500-per-month stipend to pay for alternative transportation.
The administration announced that general education students in magnet or selective programs will not have transportation on the first day of school. CPS said it will provide those students with free Chicago Transit Authority Ventra cards “for as long as they are without school bus transportation for this school year.”
Parents and guardians of students receiving the free CTA Ventra cards may request a companion pass to cover the transportation cost of riding with their child.
More than 17,000 of the District's 320,000-plus students are eligible for bus transportation. Officials said most students can walk to school.
CPS does not own or operate its own school buses but contracts with about a dozen school bus companies, and other modes of transportation. In 2021, the school district struggled to provide transportation. Days before the school year began, hundreds of parents received word that there would be no buses for their children.
(The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.)
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