WASHINGTON — Getting their kids to school safely is a priority for parents -- and a new DC program hopes to help them do just that.
It starts with transportation assistants like Tyrone Fludd greeting kids as they get on the bus.
"Ready for the question of the day?" Mr. Fludd, as the kids know him, asks one student. "You going to give me all the planets?"
"Yeah!" the student replies, eagerly, "Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune!"
Question of the day answered they're off to school on one of the red DC School Connect buses.
D.C. started the program in 2021 under the Safe Passage umbrella.
It offers dedicated buses to kids in Wards 7 and 8 in the hopes of protecting them from violence en route to class.
Each bus comes equipped with a driver and a transportation assistant, who can focus on looking after the kids throughout the ride, like Mr. Fludd.
“My job is simple. Get them to and from school, back and forth every single day. And I love it," Mr. Fludd said.
Larry Cumberbatch's job is to drive the kids to school safely.
“I feel good about it," he said.
Cumberbatch is a longtime driver of public school and private charter buses. He jumped at the opportunity to join this new program when he was offered the position.
“We're in bad times where kids are getting killed, shot, it's sad, you know," he said. "Wo when they get on this, this is a safe haven for them. It takes away from their problems that we don't know about, you know, especially with mental health and everything coming apart. It starts here and it goes all the way up to here.”
Deputy Mayor of Education, Paul Kihn, said there are multiple reasons a parent could sign up for the program.
“If parents believe that their students are having difficulty getting to and from school because they have to cross dangerous intersections; if they believe they have some social challenges; if they're being harassed by other students on routes, or they just don't feel that the travel is safe for their kids. They're able to work with their school, and the school helps identify the routes that will get them to and from school safely," Kihn said.
His department said the program serves 269 students on average and has made more than 25,000 trips so far this school year.
Beyond the safety, though, it's the relationships that matter to parents like Yodit Ghebretinsae.
“Mr. Fludd and his team are really a part of our -- that's like our our village," she said.
It's a role Mr. Fudd doesn't take lightly.
“I have a saying with the kids. It's a tissue for your issue," he said. "My job is to perk them up, get them ready for school, and have them prepared a little bit for what's going to happen for the day. If they have a problem with math or reading or whatever. That's the issue. And I'm their tissue.”
Parents hope the program only continues to grow.
"I think this is a great way to get children to school and bring them back home safely. It's good for the environment. I think it builds community. I think it's really safe. I hope it grows. I hope this becomes the way that children can get to school," Ghebretinsae said.
Another feature she appreciates is the live tracking system that allows her to follow her son's bus route after he boards.
She said Mr. Fludd turns it on when the kids get on the bus, so they can make sure they get to school safely.
Right now, the program is at capacity, but a spokesperson for the Department of For-Hire Vehicles said they hope to see it grow in the future.