Missteps of 2023 Howard County school bus issues revealed in audit report

BALTIMORE - An independent audit revealed what led to widespread school bus issues at the beginning of last school year in Howard County.

Prismatic Services presented its findings to the school board on Thursday, stating that unfilled staff positions played a key role in some of the problems. The audit also found the California-based company Zum, contracted to provide bus service, was overconfident in the job.

Last year, Zum signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Howard County Public School System to operate nearly half of its bus routes.

However, at the start of the 2023-24 school year, some students waited hours for a bus, while others weren't picked up at all. Some students got on the wrong bus.

"The failures in transportation last fall resulted from missteps and actions taken internally, as well as externally," Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Bill Barnes said.

What the audit says

The audit found important positions within the school district's transportation office weren't filled before the start of the year, which created a lapse in bus routes being created.

The audit accused Zum of overstating their abilities and underdelivering, and failing to admit to the school system they had no experience serving a large school district.

Prismatic Services said Zum did not dry run all its routes, failing to sufficiently prepare for the school year.

Zum said in statement that, "We strongly disagree with the statements in the student transportation audit."

The contractor also said the challenges were factored into this year's start of school, resulting in 100% route coverage and 97% on-time performance.

Howard County held accountable

The audit held Howard County accountable. It said the county spends less money on transportation services than what is recommended, which is often discussed during yearly county budget meetings.

Howard County Superintendent Bill Barnes released a statement regarding the situation, noting staffing challenges as the major challenge.  "We have been challenged by a bus driver shortage of nearly 100 drivers for several years, resulting in many challenges transporting students to and from school efficiently.," Barnes said.

Applauding Zum's leadership, Barnes touted the company's efforts to improve the transportation issues.

"I commend the efforts of their staff and drivers to improve and play a significant role in the success in this year's student transportation efforts. Zum leadership shared with me that beyond having 100% of their routes covered, they have a 97% on-time performance and have received a consistent 4.9 out of 5 rating from HCPSS families," Barnes said.

He added that because of the efforts of HCPSS transportation contractors, the county now has a surplus of drivers to serve students.