When schools reopen for in-person instruction, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) will implement several changes to our bus transportation with the goal to improve on-time arrivals, safety and communication.
On Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. we will host a presentation and town hall for families and community to learn more about these changes. The town hall will be presented on the PGCPS YouTube channel and will be available for viewing immediately after the town hall for those who cannot watch live.
Last year, as part of our continuing work towards dependable and safe bus transport for all students, we convened a 23-member Transportation Task Force composed of a cross-section of the PGCPS community — parents whose children ride our buses, school board members, operations staff and lawmakers. We also sought best practices from neighboring districts. The task force provided numerous recommendations to improve road safety and overall operations.
Solutions to be implemented during the 2020-21 school year include: centralized bus stops, GPS-enabled tablets on buses and better tracking software.
On-Time Student Arrival — New GPS-enabled dashboard tablets will provide turn-by-turn directions for drivers. Centralized bus stops and route changes will improve student on-time arrival. While reducing the number of bus stops may require some students to walk further to their assigned location, we assure you the distance still falls within our policy, which is 1.5 miles for elementary school students and 2 miles for middle and high school students.
Safer Buses — School bus stop-arms are now equipped with cameras. Drivers who illegally pass buses while the stop-arm is deployed will be fined, encouraging adherence to bus laws and improving student safety both on and off school buses.
Better Communication — Routing software has been integrated with a new parent mobile app, allowing families to view their child’s bus schedule and receive real-time, accurate updates on bus location.
Learn more about upcoming bus transportation changes here.