School bus/Photo courtesy of Chicago Sun Times
The Chicago Public Schools is talking with Uber for transportation in the wake of bus drivers quitting due to COVID-19 mandates.
The first day of classes for Chicago Public Schools was Monday. Over the weekend, Chicago parents were made aware that some of their children’s bus routes were understaffed.
School bus transportation in the district is utilized by about 2,100 students, with almost half of those children having special needs, the Chicago Sun-Times reported
.The district has claimed that they were not made aware of the shortage until Friday when the private company from which it contracts its transportation services apprised them that 73 drivers had resigned due to Chicago Public Schools’ mandate that all employees and contractors be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 15.
In a news conference on Monday, Mayor Lori Lightfoot explained that the district was caught off-guard and that it was not the district’s responsibility to ensure that contractors hold up their end of the bargain.
“It was only Friday that the notification came from those third parties that they had a shortage of drivers. That is not CPS’ responsibility. We have a contract with those companies. We had an expectation that they were going to fulfill their contract,” Lightfoot said.
Now, the district is forced to get creative and has entered talks with Uber and Lyft to provide transportation for its students. Representatives from neither company have issued a statement about the potential partnership.
It should be noted that neither of the ride-sharing companies has vaccine mandates for its drivers, likely out of the fear that many of them will quit as well.
Unfortunately, Chicago is not the only district where a bus driver shortage is an issue.
Granite City, Illinois, is experiencing the same problem.
For now, Chicago Public Schools are offering families a $1,000 initial payment and $500 per month for a travel reimbursement until the problems are fixed.
Mayor Lightfoot has promised to remain in contact with the media once plans are cemented.