ST. LOUIS — The school bus won’t pull up for thousands of students next month in St. Louis Public Schools’ patchwork transportation plan that includes medical vans, rideshare companies, shuttles and the Metro public transit system.
Last year, the district’s $26 million contract with Missouri Central bus company included a fleet of 228 vehicles, with 181 conventional yellow buses and 47 short buses.
The company terminated its contract early, leaving the district to scramble to find transportation for more than 14,000 eligible riders.
A five-point strategy to compensate for the loss of buses will include new start times for an unknown number of schools, MetroBus passes for some high school students, more parent drivers, fewer bus stops and more 10-passenger vans. The SLPS board is expected to vote on the plan at its meeting Tuesday.
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The new plan will cost up to $40 million for 19 transportation vendors that mainly consist of shuttle providers or rideshare apps.
The vendors "have stepped up to help SLPS provide safe, consistent, and on-time transportation for our students," reads a statement from district spokesman George Sells. "Each of these vendors has undergone a detailed vetting process, demonstrating they have the qualifications to match their willingness to be part of the solution. Our transportation team is creating a plan that will allow every one of them to be utilized in a way that benefits our students most."
Here’s a look at the 19 vendors SLPS has authorized to provide transportation in the 2024-25 school year:
- AALAF Transportation: The company was registered with the Missouri secretary of state on March 25, one month before the deadline for vendor proposals to SLPS. The owner is listed as Sun Auto Repairs and Sales in north St. Louis, which has one shuttle in disrepair on its lot.
- : This rideshare service was founded in Houston in 2017 mainly for students with special needs. Drivers must pass background checks and use their own cars, which could include wheelchair-accessible vans. The company’s website states, “school transportation needs to be as varied and unique as the students and districts it serves.â€
- : Based outside of Portland, Oregon, the company primarily serves students who are homeless or have special needs. Assist Services say it offers an “alternative to traditional yellow bus service†with drivers using their own cars that are “well functioning†and have four doors.
- : The Creve Coeur company has 10-passenger vans used for rides to school, errands and special events.
- : The St. Louis-based home health company provides nonemergency medical transportation in vans.
- : The Ohio business, one of the largest school bus companies in the country, was the district’s main transportation vendor for at least a decade before the nearly $28 million annual contract was terminated in 2022 due to poor service. First Student will provide 75 buses for fall 2024, about one-third of the previous fleet, according to a source at SLPS.
- : The rideshare company based in Los Angeles partners with school districts for “non-routine†transportation, including students with special needs. “CareDrivers†use their own cars and must have two years of caregiving experience for children, which can include parenting. HopSkipDrive works with the City of St. Charles School District and Premier Charter School in St. Louis to “book secure and dependable rides for all students, especially those whose needs cannot be met with traditional school buses and fixed routes,†according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
- Love N Care: The medical transportation company was registered in 2022 to a home in the Carondelet neighborhood of St. Louis.
- MAP Transportation: The Florissant company has been registered with the state since 2019 but has minimal information posted.
- : St. Louis-based MCJ Reliable Transport is a “non-emergency medical transportation company†including wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
- Missouri Express: There are multiple businesses listed as “Missouri Express†with the secretary of state.
- : The St. Louis company provides nonemergency medical transportation with wheelchair accessibility in at least one van. The company also provides rides from day cares to home for preschoolers and older children, according to its website. The company has contracted with SLPS since August 2022 to transport 57 students to 10 schools.
- : A Yelp listing shows an R & R Transportation Service with minivan airport shuttles based in Fairview Heights.
- Reed 2 Reed: Reed 2 Reed LLC based in Florissant is registered as a home health care company since 2016 on the secretary of state’s website. A that went live in June said the company was paying drivers in St. Louis $27 to $28.50 an hour to “safely operate a commercial bus to transport passengers to designated locations.†The job requires two years of school bus driving experience, according to the post.
- : The Florida company provides “specialized private transportation solutions for school districts†including “day-to-day operations, route optimization, and the recruitment and training of drivers and monitors,†according to its website, which has renderings of SUVs and vans.
- : The company based in Earth City has a fleet of luxury shuttles, vans, limousines and motor coaches for chauffeured airport service and special events. The company has contracted with SLPS since August 2022 to transport 80 students to 23 schools.
- : The company’s software can help with routing, track school buses and riders with GPS and communicate with parents about delays. The company also works with on a rideshare program in St. Louis County.
- : Victorious Life International is a nonprofit in Swansea created “to educate, empower and encourage people to live victorious lives.†The group is connected to , a private school with online and in-person classes.
- : Xtra Care Transportation was registered with the state on April 22 as a “passenger transportation†company in an office building in the Central West End. The company is owned by Sharnese Johnson, who also founded Optimal Reliability Transportation to offer child care and school transportation, airport transfers and medical supply delivery, according to the website.
View life in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
