School district paying families to drive kids to school amid bus driver shortage

ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) - A school district in Missouri is offering to pay some families to drive their kids to school as part of an effort to offset a shortage of bus drivers.

According to the Saint Louis Public School District, it will provide gas subsidies for families impacted by transportation struggles to drive their students to and from school.

School district officials said they are contacting select families to provide gas cards for the next two weeks.

The families who will receive the gas cards have had “chronic bus absenteeism throughout the year,” according to the school district.

“We apologize and we’re sorry for the inconvenience of something as simple as commuting their children,” Saint Louis Public Schools Chief Operations Officer Square Watson said.

Parent Valerie Smith said she has not been able to depend on transportation from the school district for her daughter.

“I’ve always had to either walk her to school or take the Metro bus or drive her,” Smith said.

According to Smith, her daughter’s bus was a no-show on Wednesday and has not picked her up for weeks.

“I think if you pay the parents to take them, they’re more likely to get the kids to school,” she said.

School officials said parents will receive $75 per week.

According to Saint Louis schools, up to 1,500 students are expected to be impacted.

“This allows them the opportunity for students to attend school so they can get a quality education,” Watson said.

For a family to be eligible, the student must attend school at least four days a week and arrive on time. There is a limit of one fuel subsidy per family, regardless of multiple students or schools.

The school district’s contract with Missouri Central School Bus Company was supposed to run through the 2024-25 school year, but in March it announced it would be terminating that contract.

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