Summary
School districts across the U.S. are reducing bus services due to driver shortages and shifting transportation responsibilities to families, disproportionately affecting low-income households.
In Chicago, where only 17,000 of 325,000 students are eligible for buses, parents are turning to alternatives like ride-hailing apps.
Startups such as Piggyback Network and HopSkipDrive provide school transportation by connecting parents or contracting directly with districts, offering safety measures like real-time tracking and driver vetting.
Critics warn these solutions don’t fully address systemic inequities, as many families still struggle to afford or access reliable school transportation.
The public school my daughter would have to walk or bike to in your scenario would be down rural roads with no sidewalks before sunrise, roads people shoot down at 30 miles above the speed limit, and across a four-lane highway with no traffic lights.
But it’s nice to know that you’re willing to sacrifice other people’s children for not being “normal kids.”
(It’s always fascinating to me that some people think everyone lives in a city.)