PGCPS to pilot hub stops with county parks, searches for more reliable parent bus‑tracking app

Dr. Coleman, chief operations officer for Prince George's County Public Schools, and Kiva Baldwin, director of Transportation at Central Garage, presented the district’s transportation action plan to the Operations, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee on March 19, describing a two-part effort to reduce long commute times and improve communication with families ahead of school year 2025–26.

Baldwin said many younger scholars in specialty programs have long commute times and drivers are often underutilized. To address that, the transportation department proposes establishing hub stops using Prince George's County Parks and Recreation facilities "By centralizing some of our pickup locations, we can optimize our bus stops, improve driver utilization, enhance accessibility for our parents as well. This shift will increase efficiency, reduce student ride times, and maximize our transportation resources," Baldwin said.

Officials said the hub‑stop plan will start as a pilot targeted at specialty programs with large boundaries and third‑tier routes; if successful, it could be scaled to other programs. Implementation components include site selection, logistics coordination, parent communication and a pilot evaluation.

The presentation also covered the parent app used for bus tracking. Baldwin acknowledged limitations with the current Stop Finder app during staffing substitutions and split trips: "In those moments, our app may not work. We may not always provide real time accuracy, leading to confusion for our parents." The district plans a parent survey, stakeholder engagement and a search for a more reliable system that better matches routing realities.

Board members asked about driver training, budgeting and supervision at proposed hub locations. Baldwin said a comprehensive, ongoing training program for drivers is planned if the district adopts a different routing or tracking system. On costs, he said routing, GPS and camera systems are currently financed in-kind with the district’s existing systems and that a budget estimate will be provided as research proceeds. On supervision and space at hub facilities, district staff said they are discussing safe‑haven options with Parks and Recreation and that extended pre/post supervision could create additional staffing needs; any extended care arrangement could carry a cost for families, depending on the final design.

Officials reported preliminary route planning had the potential to "reduce the ride time almost by 60 minutes" for some routes in rough estimates and emphasized the pilot nature of the work to weigh tradeoffs between perfect conditions and near‑term improvements.

Transportation staff said they will return with a detailed timeline, training plan and cost estimates as the research and parent input progress.