Bus service for hundreds of students at Unity Classical Charter School in Southwest Charlotte came to an abrupt halt this week after the school's transportation vendor, Infiniti Transportation, informed leaders it was terminating service altogether. Families of bus-riding students now have to drive their children to school themselves until the K-8 charter school can line up a new provider.
According to Queen City News, Infiniti Transportation provided its last day of bus service on Monday, August 31, with the termination taking effect September 1. Headmaster Sharon Dougherty wrote to families that Infiniti will not provide bus transportation to Unity students beginning that date, according to the outlet's report. The school, located at 14613 Steele Creek Road, serves roughly 763 to 928 kindergarten through 8th-grade students drawn from across Mecklenburg County, per SchoolDigger.
The sudden cutoff comes just days after students returned to class on August 26. In the short window between the start of school and the vendor's exit, parents reported a string of problems: route issues, significant delays, a bus-tracking system that would not work properly, and concerns about drivers' performance, the station's report notes.
School Sought Records on Drivers, Then Lost the Vendor
Tensions between Unity Classical and Infiniti Transportation appear to have escalated over driver credentials. School leaders requested documents concerning driver screening and training, along with Infiniti's qualifications and certifications, according to the same account. Shortly after that request, the vendor moved to terminate its contract with the school entirely.
North Carolina law sets a high bar for who can get behind the wheel of a school bus. State regulators require charter and public school bus drivers alike to hold a Class B Commercial Driver License with school bus and passenger endorsements, pass criminal background checks and drug screenings, and carry an official North Carolina Charter School pocket card issued by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Charter schools also operate under North Carolina General Statute § 115C-218.40, which requires them to maintain a student transportation plan so busing does not become a barrier to enrollment, even though schools are not required to bus students who live within 1.5 miles of campus.
From Eagle Bus Service to a Rocky New Vendor
Unity Classical had previously partnered with Eagle Bus Service for cluster-stop routes before switching to Infiniti Transportation for the 2026–2027 school year, using an express, cluster-stop model that relies on centralized neighborhood meeting points rather than door-to-door pickups. Warning signs surfaced well before the first bell: as early as July, parents raised concerns on the school's Facebook page about unlisted route maps, unreturned phone calls, and confusion over Infiniti's registration process. The school held a bus rider parent meeting on August 12 to try to resolve safety and logistics questions before classes began on August 26.
Unity Classical established its current bus routing network back in January 2022, after the school relocated to its Steele Creek Road campus. That history makes this week's collapse a sharper break from routine than a first-year hiccup — a network built over four years unraveling within days of a vendor switch.
What Families Are Being Told to Do Now
School leaders are working to find a new transportation provider, according to Queen City News, but in the meantime, parents of bus-riding children must drive their children to school. Families who choose to drive are directed to use the school's regular carpool lane, and Unity Classical says it will accommodate tardiness resulting from the sudden loss of bus transportation. Families have also been asked to communicate with the school if a child's arrival will be delayed. Queen City News reported that it contacted Infiniti Transportation for comment.
A Wider Strain on School Transportation
Unity Classical's crisis lands in the same opening weeks that nearby Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools wrestled with its own transportation troubles, including driver shortages and a glitch-prone bus-tracking app that left parents stranded on the first day of school. Nationally, the pressure on private bus contractors has been building for years: Economic Policy Institute data shows employment among private-sector school bus contractors fell 28.8% between 2019 and 2025, a steeper decline than public school districts have faced in maintaining their own driver rosters.
North Carolina does offer charter schools a potential financial lifeline. The state's Charter School Transportation Grant Program, established under N.C. G.S. § 115C-218.42, provides funding to charter schools that transport economically disadvantaged students. Whether Unity Classical will tap that program, secure an emergency contract with a replacement vendor such as its former provider, or find another path forward remains unclear for now.
