Technology is no solution to school bus driver shortage

It’s the beginning of the school year, which means families across the country are wondering: Will the school bus get our kids to school on time? And in Louisville, Kentucky, the answer was a resounding no. The Jefferson County Public Schools actually had to cancel school for more than a week after a disastrous first day of classes on which some kids didn’t get picked up in the morning and some did not get home until nearly 10 PM.

Frantic parents drove from bus stop to bus stop, looking for their kids. Some even called the police. A sixth-grader told Louisville Public Media he had been left for 90 minutes on a bus with no air conditioning while waiting for a transfer to another bus. He was not allowed to get off even to go to the bathroom. Some children in the district were made to get off buses at the wrong stop, with no way for their parents to locate them.

Louisville isn’t the only district in the nation that’s had problems or is about to, but it’s certainly the most dramatic case—so far. And it’s a cautionary tale for districts that think they can overcome bus driver shortages with algorithms.