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PGCPS outlines transportation action plan: ‘Chipmunk’ app rollout, hub-stop pilot and driver hiring targets
Summary
PGCPS presented a transportation action plan including a phased rollout of a new parent-facing app called Chipmunk, a hub-stop pilot with MNCPPC at three schools, increased hiring of non-CDL drivers and steps to expand communication staff to address service reliability and driver shortages.
Prince George's County Public Schools presented a multi-phase transportation action plan on June 26 designed to improve on-time performance, communications and route flexibility.
The presentation — led by Chief Operating Officer Dr. Coleman and Director of Transportation Kiva Baldwin — summarized Phase 1 results and described Phase 2 actions for the 2025–26 school year. Staff said they removed more than 300 underutilized trips and consolidated over 3,000 stops to streamline routing.
Key measures and timeline: Director Baldwin told trustees, “We are phasing in a new parent app,” and identified the app’s parent-facing name as Chipmunk. The district plans a phased implementation: Chipmunk will launch for special education trips in the first semester and expand to all routes in the second semester. The district will continue to operate StopFinder (Transfinder/StopFinder) at the start of the year while phasing in the new system.
Operational and staffing changes: Staff reported the current driver fill rate at about 85% with over 100 full-time equivalent positions unfilled and said 129 routes remain uncovered in places. To address shortages and increase flexibility, PGCPS will add 25 non-CDL drivers (increasing available vans from 16 to 36), expand the permanent communications staff from 9 to 18 positions plus a dedicated supervisor, and contract certain unique trips. The district also plans customer-service professional development for phone-bank staff and an assigned HR partner for transportation hiring.
Hub-stop pilot and safety: In partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC), PGCPS will pilot centralized “hub” pickup locations for three specialty schools — Overlook Elementary, Maya Angelou French Immersion, and P.E. Williams Elementary — to reduce ride time, improve on-time performance and simplify routing; staff said they will ensure hub locations are open and safe and coordinate walk-zone audits with Safe Passage coordinators.
Board questions and next steps: Trustees pressed for details on parent training, driver equipment, and community engagement for pilot sites. Director Baldwin and staff said they conducted targeted surveys and will continue community engagement through the summer and into implementation. The district projects raising its driver fill rate above 90% and reducing transportation-resolution-system entries by 10% in 2025–26.
Ending: The presentation concluded with an offer for continued questions and a commitment to phased rollout, piloting and additional hiring to strengthen system reliability.
