As the new school year begins, families in the Houston area continue to confront significant transportation issues, with hundreds of students affected by reduced bus services. In the Houston Independent School District (HISD), problems with student transport persist, as reported by KPRC 2. A grandmother responsible for getting her four grandchildren to Gregory-Lincoln Education Center laments that they have yet to be assigned a bus, weeks into the academic term.
Amid pressing budgetary constraints, Cy-Fair ISD chose to eliminate 79 bus routes as of the 2024-25 school year, which officials believe will save approximately $4.8 million. This has led to nearly a 20% drop in student ridership, as some parents are forced to quickly adjust in scrambling to find alternative ways to secure their children's safe passage to school. Superintendent Doug Killian conveyed at a board meeting the difficulty of the decision, emphasizing that transportation cuts remain a challenging issue for the district. “We continue to reiterate that reducing transportation was not a decision we wanted to make,” he said in a statement obtained by Community Impact.
Parents and students alike are voicing their concerns, pointing to increased traffic dangers and the physical toll on students who must now walk in extreme weather conditions. Rosemary Wilson, a CFISD student who now must undertake the journey to school on foot, shared her concerns with district trustees, stating, “My walking group includes kids in younger grades, and we don't always have an adult walking home with us. It's quite scary to walk alongside West Road,” her statement to Community Impact.
In response, Cy-Fair ISD has taken measures to boost student safety. This includes collaborating with homeowners associations, training additional crossing guards, and extending district police officer hours at the start of the school term. The district continues, however, to face bus driver shortages, a nationwide issue exacerbated by the pandemic. Superintendent Killian acknowledged these challenges and reported that as of Monday there were 52 bus driver vacancies. "Transportation departments nationwide have grappled with driver shortages for years, but it has been worse since the pandemic. We are no exception," Killian told Community Impact.
