JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nearly nine weeks into the school year and some DCPS parents say they're still dealing with transportation issues.
One mom says her son was left waiting for a bus that never came, while another says the bus comes, but it's packed three to a seat.
Brittany Bryant’s son waited at a bus stop for nearly two hours for a bus that never showed up. Bryant says this happened twice in two weeks.
In both situations, Bryant says there was nothing listed on DCPS’s bus delay website, and she wasn’t notified that a bus was not coming.
“That's really scary," said Brittany Bryant, mother of four DCPS students. "We have minors that are sitting outside, with no supervision. You can have predators come along. They can get scared, and they can maybe decide to walk home… So many things can happen, and you have no idea where your child is."
Across town, another mother is dealing with DCPS transportation issues.
In Vanessa Vazquez’s case, the bus shows up, however, she questions if it's safe. A video her 8th grade son took last Thursday shows three students to a seat and some standing in the walkway.
“It’s not safe and if they got into a car accident you got, so many kids on there, three to a seat," she says. "I mean, if there was a car accident that happened, all those students are getting hurt, he’s getting hurt."
DCPS uses two vendors for transportation: Student Transportation of America and Durham School Services.
First Coast News reached out to DCPS asking for the number of driver vacancies, how often the bus delay website is updated and what parents should do if their child's bus doesn’t show.
District leaders were not able to provide specific numbers but shared a link containing information about the impact of the national bus driver shortage on services and strategies for recruitment and retention.
STA and Durham are offering sign-on bonuses to qualified candidates, and have implemented referral bonuses for current employees and recognition gifts for current employees.
Bryant says improving communication is something she wants to see from the district.
"It all comes down to the company that the district hires, there is no communication whether a bus is coming or not…And the biggest issue that I have is not only is it not safe for each kid to be out there left alone for whoever knows how long, but they're also missing education," Bryant said.
On Tuesday morning there were over 100 bus delays listed on the bus delay link website.