Buses ran hours behind schedule and missed stops during the first days of classes in the West Mifflin Area School District, leaving families scrambling and prompting district leaders to schedule a trio of town halls to address the fallout. Among the most alarming incidents: a West Mifflin mother says her kindergartener, who requires a wheelchair-accessible bus, arrived at school more than an hour late on the very first day.
The district confirmed multiple buses ran hours behind schedule and missed stops on opening day, according to WTAE. The disruptions come just months after the West Mifflin Area School Board approved a new five-year transportation contract with Krise Transportation, a deal that runs through June 30, 2031, and replaced longtime vendor Sun Coach Lines, as reported by the Mon Valley Independent. That contract had been pitched with fleet upgrades including interior security cameras and GPS tracking technology, a modernization push that stands in sharp contrast to the route breakdowns families experienced during the first week of the 2026-2027 school year.
Long Rides, Lost Drivers, and Wrong Districts
Parents told WPXI that some students endured bus rides stretching 90 minutes or longer during opening week, with one parent saying her children did not get home until 5:30 p.m. despite living just three miles from Homeville Elementary. Some families said they resorted to driving their kids to school themselves while route issues got sorted out, per the same report.
The driving problems went beyond traffic. According to KDKA-TV, some Krise Transportation drivers had to ask students to pull up Google Maps on their phones for navigation help, while other buses accidentally drove students into neighboring school districts because of similarly named streets. Those mix-ups compounded the frustration already building among families during the opening days of school.
Kindergartner Left Waiting Over an Hour
The most troubling incident involved a kindergarten student who requires a wheelchair-accessible bus. Krise Transportation told the district the child was not listed on its route roster, leaving her stranded until a substitute bus arrived an hour late, the Mon Valley Independent reported. The girl's mother said she had confirmed her daughter's route details with district officials the week before school started, according to the same report — a claim that underscores a communication breakdown separate from the traffic and staffing issues affecting other routes.
West Mifflin Area School District officials said they met with Krise Transportation to discuss needed improvements, according to an updated district letter cited by WTAE. The district said it will continue working with Krise, monitoring routes, and sharing updates with families as improvements are made.
Road Construction and Emergency Closures Add to the Mess
Beyond highway traffic on Lebanon Church Road, which affects several bus routes connecting the north and south ends of the district, the West Mifflin Area School District issued alerts about localized delays tied to a large hole reducing Homeville Road near Commonwealth Avenue to one lane. Emergency vehicles blocking Eastman Street near Homeville Elementary added another bottleneck, according to district communications shared on Facebook. Those obstructions hit elementary drop-off and pick-up zones particularly hard.
In response, Krise Transportation said it reviews routes every day and uses additional buses when delays occur. The company has also hired several new drivers, all local to the area, and plans to adjust routes and make other changes to reduce delays and keep buses on schedule, per WTAE's reporting. Krise said it will respond to transportation-related calls and emails within two business days, and the district asked parents and guardians to include their child's last name, bus number, bus stop, and a brief description of the issue when filing complaints.
Three Town Halls Scheduled for Families
The district has scheduled three transportation town halls open to all K-12 families. The first takes place Thursday at West Mifflin Area Middle School, followed by a session Tuesday, September 1, at Clara Barton Elementary School, and a final meeting Wednesday, September 2, back at West Mifflin Area Middle School. Each session runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
A Statewide Driver Shortage Behind the Scenes
The onboarding struggles playing out in West Mifflin reflect a broader Pennsylvania problem. Earning a Commercial Driver's License to operate a school bus in the state requires a 10- to 12-week process involving classroom instruction, behind-the-wheel training, clearances, and testing, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. That lengthy pipeline makes it difficult for contractors to quickly replenish driver ranks during shortages.
The Pennsylvania School Bus Association has estimated the statewide shortage at roughly 3,500 school bus drivers, prompting PennDOT to modernize its CDL testing in 2023 by waiving the under-the-hood engine component testing requirement for school bus applicants, according to Gettysburg Connection. Founded in 2016 by Tim Krise, Krise Transportation operates as part of the American Student Transportation Partners network and serves more than 30 Pennsylvania school districts, transporting over 125,000 students daily, according to a company profile on Patch.
West Mifflin Area School District serves approximately 2,400 students across four schools in Allegheny County — Clara Barton Elementary, Homeville Elementary, West Mifflin Area Middle School, and West Mifflin Area High School — according to the Future Ready PA Index. Hoodline previously reported on transportation-related concerns involving Krise Transportation in a neighboring Allegheny County district, as well as a January incident in which a West Mifflin student was grazed by a bullet after exiting a school bus in nearby Duquesne. For now, the upcoming town halls stand as the primary venue for families and district leaders to work through the remaining tension over the district's bumpy start to the school year.
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