Transportation issues persist for West Mifflin Area schools

Reports of lengthy waits at bus stops and long trips to school continued Monday morning.

By the MVI

Transportation issues continued to affect the West Mifflin Area School District on Monday.

Several parents complained of buses running well behind schedule or even skipping stops altogether.

Amy Stoebe, whose daughter Ashton started kindergarten Monday at Homeville Elementary, told our news partners at WTAE that her child was more an hour late to school after her assigned wheelchair-accessible bus failed to arrive.

With Ashton still waiting at home when class began at 8:40 a.m., Stoebe contacted Krise Transportation to ask about the delay.

“When I called, I gave them her name and her bus number. They said, ‘We don’t have a child by that name on the roster for that bus.’ And I said, ‘That’s odd because I called and spoke to someone last week. They gave me a bus number and a pickup time. How would I have that if she’s not on that bus?’” Stoebe said.

A bus equipped with ADA accessibility arrived about an hour later, and Stoebe said Krise Transportation claimed the school district didn’t communicate Ashton’s need for a wheelchair lift.

Krise Transportation issued a statement Monday that read in part, “Regarding the situation involving the student requiring ADA-accessible transportation, we regret the delay experienced this morning. The issue was addressed as quickly as possible, and we are reviewing the circumstances to help prevent similar disruptions in the future.”

This is the first year that Krise has been contracted to provide transportation services for the district.

Problems began when schools opened last week, with many parents taking to social media to report long wait times at bus stops and trips to school lasting 90 minutes or more.

West Mifflin Superintendent Jeffrey T. Soles issued a statement Friday acknowledging the transportation issues and saying that administrators have been working directly with Krise to resolve them.