West Mifflin Area School District parents say bus transportation has been chaotic

Parents in West Mifflin are concerned about the school district's busing after a hectic start to the new academic year.

The West Mifflin Area School District admits its transportation service has fallen short, as families question whether they can count on their children getting to and from school safely. 

"On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say 1,000," parent Amy Stoebe said. "I've dealt with bus companies before because I have an older daughter too. It hasn't always been great. We've had problems, but I've never experienced anything like this."

Stoebe's daughter uses a wheelchair and requires a wheelchair-accessible bus. But on Monday morning, Stoebe said the bus that showed up couldn't accommodate her despite the district and bus company knowing she needs accessible transportation. Stoebe said she could not get through to the bus company and was repeatedly told to keep waiting for another bus. 

"The bus finally pulls up," she said. "This is 9:30. They were supposed to be there at 8:20. Her school day is almost already an hour in. So I get her to the bus, they put her on the bus and I ask the driver, 'Are you the one who's going to be taking her home or will there be a different bus to take her home?' And he goes, 'Yeah, about that, we're still figuring it out.'"

Stoebe's story is far from the only one. One father told KDKA-TV that his daughter waited 2 hours and 20 minutes for her bus on Monday morning, causing her to miss her first two periods of high school. Other parents report children being dropped off a mile from home or in parking lots to be picked up because drivers did not know where to take them. 

There are even reports of buses taking children into neighboring school districts because of similar street addresses.

And in perhaps one of the most bizarre complaints, parents said some students have had to pull out their phones and use Google Maps to help their bus drivers find where they're going. 

Last week, as complaints first began surfacing, the district acknowledged its transportation service had fallen short. The superintendent says in part:

"[Krise Transportation] is responsible for developing and adjusting bus routes and has advised the district that driver shortages have contributed to some of the challenges experienced this week. Additional drivers are expected to become available next week."

KDKA-TV reached out to the district twice on Monday for an updated response but never heard back. KDKA-TV also reached out to Krise to ask about the complaints but did not hear back.