Prince George’s County Public Schools has assigned buses to the roughly 10,000 pupils left without routes at the start of term, but families are still facing incorrect schedules, missed services and journeys lasting far longer than expected.
The Maryland district says it has moved beyond the immediate backlog and is now reviewing the wider operation, including route design, staffing, customer service and the rollout of its new Chipmunk transport system.
Prince George’s County bus routes face weeks of changes
School officials have warned that correcting the remaining problems could take several weeks. Some pupils have been given inaccurate routes, while others have endured excessively long journeys, with some buses delayed by more than 45 minutes and specialist-programme rides approaching two hours.
PGCPS said the Chipmunk app suffered a technical failure during the first morning of term but was restored by midday. The district has acknowledged that the transition to the new platform, combined with a large volume of routing requests, contributed to incomplete and incorrect information.
The system serves more than 1,100 buses across the county. Officials say a 27-member transportation surge team will remain in place during the opening weeks of the school year to deal with new enrolments, address changes and requests for amended routes.
The district has also begun a route optimisation exercise focused on correcting errors, reviewing bus stops and reducing lengthy journeys. Families have been advised to check ParentVUE and Chipmunk for updated information rather than relying on older schedules.
PGCPS has created a dedicated email address, Bushelp@pgcps.org, for transport complaints and says parents should receive an acknowledgement within 24 hours.
Denise Douglas, the district’s associate superintendent of communications, said the changes would not produce an instant solution.
“We’re basically a week in, and so the fix isn’t going to be immediate,” she said. “But I think what parents and the community can really hang on to is the fact that there’s more intentional focus on it, and there are steps that are being taken to make a difference this time around.”
Leadership changes follow transport disruption
The district has appointed former chief operating officer Mark Fossett as acting transportation director. He will lead a transition team brought in to examine the department’s operations and help address critical vacancies.
Keba Baldwin is stepping down as transportation director, although PGCPS said he would assist with an orderly handover. Officials have not set a firm deadline for resolving every outstanding issue.
The Maryland State Department of Education has also directed the district to audit the Chipmunk system. PGCPS says the platform is operational but remains under review as staff continue to correct routes and synchronise information across its systems.
The transport department is facing additional scrutiny after an internal investigation found evidence of workplace bullying, discrimination and harassment, including allegations linked to age and sex. PGCPS has not said whether the workplace problems contributed to the disruption affecting pupils and families.
School officials held a telephone town hall on Wednesday to explain what had gone wrong and outline the next stage of the recovery. The district has said it is also working to improve how complaints are logged, monitored and passed to the appropriate staff.
Parents demand accountability over long journeys
For many families, receiving a bus assignment has not ended the disruption. Some parents say children have been left waiting for buses, collected at the wrong times or kept on board for hours.
Parent Carrie Weletz described the opening of term as “a complete failure” and said it was unfair for young children to spend up to four hours a day travelling to and from school.
“It doesn’t look like anyone human is setting their eyes on these routes,” she said.
Carolyn Lemm Espinoza said the problem went beyond assigning buses and raised questions about oversight within the transport department.
“The bigger issue to me is not just having a bus route,” she said. “There are issues with accountability within the transportation department, and I don’t want to end up in a state where we’re in the same predicament next year.”
Students who registered after the district’s deadline are still waiting for permanent assignments, meaning the disruption is likely to continue as routes are adjusted and new pupils are added to the system.
