HOUSTON — Many of you told us in our KHOU 11 back-to-school survey that transportation is a concern of yours. Houston ISD went back to class on Monday, but on Sunday night, the district sent a notice out that hundreds of students still don’t have assigned bus routes.
In the news release sent out just before 9 p.m., HISD said that more than 17,000 have been assigned bus routes, but around 700 students still don’t have theirs. The district said they've reached out to those families to tell them that if they still haven't received their route information, they should call their school campus or a district helpline between 4:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Numbers they can call
1 – Barnett Terminal: (713) 845-5022
2 – Butler Terminal: (713) 726-2100
3 – Central Terminal: (713) 676-9432
4 – Northwest Terminal: (713) 613-3049
The Transportation Customer Service main phone number is (713) 556-5963
However, some parents who tried to contact the terminals said they were put on hold for more than an hour with no one ever answering. Others said they could not get through at all.
After hearing that parents are having issues with the numbers or being put on hold for more than an hour, we called and our experience was that the main line went straight to voicemail and one terminal -- Butler -- didn't work.
We spoke to some parents who said they waited for bus route assignments that never came. While many chose to just bring their kids on Monday, others are not optimistic about what the rest of the year will bring.
“You know it’s frustrating," Alexis Payton said.
Payton’s son is starting middle school, and at this rate, doesn’t know when he’ll get a route.
“They don’t work. The websites have been down. You can’t even call and when you call, they say they’re out of service," Payton said.
To avoid the delay, he'll drive.
That's what Adriuna Spivey-Bailey is doing for her children. All three attend different schools.
“They’re all in the magnet program so they all go to schools outside of our ZIP code. So we really, really need to know,” Spivey-Bailey said.
Cesar de Cerda also has children in different schools. One bus arrived nearly on time, but he had to drop off another.
“Confused because you can’t get them on the phone the phone system is down," de Cerda said. “Not sure if they’re communicating, 'Hey, your bus is on the way.'"
With route eliminations, Payton’s son may not ever have a route, and for safety reasons, walking to school isn't an option.
"Really ma’am, I’m not optimistic. That’s why I’m just gonna keep doing what I do."
One parent who did not want to speak on camera sent screenshots of the available bus routes for their student. Three of the four routes wouldn't get students to school until after the first bell.
According to the district, students who haven't been assigned a route can get on a bus that's going to their school. The drivers will pick up and drop off students, even though they aren't assigned to the route.
The district says they expect all students to get their permanent stop within 72 of adding them to their system.