Some Prince George’s County students in one Kettering neighborhood are experiencing delays with their school buses.
Ronnell High says his son’s school bus has been showing up late for the last three weeks. WUSA9 went out to his son’s school bus stop Wednesday. According to paperwork provided by the school, the bus was supposed to show up at its stop at 8:45 a.m.
But, the bus got to the stop at 9:30 a.m. High’s son is supposed to be at school by 9:15 a.m.
“I’m left in the dark as a parent,” said High. “Waiting for them to figure out what’s going on.”
High said he talked to a bus driver in Kettering and learned they were sometimes working anywhere from three to four routes a morning.
A spokesperson for Prince George’s County Public Schools said the district is aware of the problem. The district says it is experiencing a shortage of bus drivers. It says it could use 20 full-time drivers and another 100 substitute drivers to adequately staff all its routes.
The spokesperson added the district has been aware of the problem for months. It has even held recruitment festivals to hire drivers.
But, High is still curious why families weren’t told about the problem earlier.
“It’s a safety issue,” he said. “I don’t know how many parents have been going through this, but for three weeks? This is not good.”
