ST. LOUIS 鈥 Students continued to ride in unauthorized buses Monday even after St. 不良研究所导航网址 Public Schools canceled eight routes from a company that violated safety laws.
The routes were canceled after the Post-Dispatch reported last week that buses operated by Reed 2 Reed of Florissant did not have the required signs and, in several cases, were missing license plates. None of the Reed 2 Reed buses have been inspected by the Missouri Highway Patrol, which regulates school buses.
An alert on the SLPS website states the suspended routes are 5001 to 5008, which staff members said were covered by Reed 2 Reed.
Students from the routes were reassigned to other transportation vendors or their families received gas cards, according to a news release sent Monday from SLPS.
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鈥淭his decision follows a thorough review that uncovered several instances of non-compliance with our contractual obligations and safety standards,鈥 reads the release from Carl Mitchell, brand strategy manager. 鈥淎s we continue a thorough review of our transportation department, we are committed to holding all vendors accountable to the highest standards. As we identify any further concerns, vendors will be notified, and appropriate actions will be taken to ensure student safety.鈥
On Monday, two unmarked buses from a separate, unknown vendor transported students to Shaw Visual and Performing Arts Elementary in the Hill neighborhood. To pass inspection, privately owned school buses must display the name and address of the owner on each side in large black letters. The buses also lacked the required sign on the back saying, 鈥淪TATE LAW: STOP WHILE BUS IS LOADING AND UNLOADING.鈥
鈥淭he school district is responsible for ensuring buses operated by or on their behalf meet the criteria for safe and legal operation as established in the ,鈥 said Lt. Eric Brown, the highway patrol鈥檚 assistant director of public information and education.
A nationwide driver shortage has caused SLPS to struggle with bus coverage for years, but the situation escalated last spring when primary vendor Missouri Central backed out of its contract with the district.
The district鈥檚 emergency transportation plan included primary bus company First Student and more than a dozen smaller vendors.
鈥淚 would just ask that if we approve this new scheme with all of these vendors ... that we are really rigorous about maintaining the records and the evidence and holding them to account with compliance,鈥 said Matt Davis, the school board鈥檚 vice president, at a July meeting.
A transportation consultant said at the meeting that a field supervisor had been hired to inspect the vendors.
鈥淭he safety of our students is top priority to us and we will be transparent,鈥 said Toyin Akinola, who was director of transportation at the time. 鈥淵ou will be seeing more of us and we will be inundating you with metrics.鈥
There have been no reports from SLPS on transportation safety since school started in August. Akinola retired from the district this month.
Leviticus McNeal, who was recently named assistant director of transportation for SLPS, has been charged with reviewing all vendor compliance contracts and regulations over the next 15 days, SLPS said in its news release Monday.
鈥淎 public report will be provided on November 1st,鈥 SLPS said.
An update on the request for bids for transportation service for the 2025-26 school year also will be provided, SLPS said.
McNeal most recently was employed as a contract manager by North America Central School Bus, parent company of Missouri Central. Before that, he was a safety manager for First Student, another school bus company.
Reed 2 Reed LLC was registered as a home health care company in 2016 by Kimberly Marie Reed of Florissant, according to the secretary of state鈥檚 website. The company does not have the required $1.5 million bodily injury and property damage insurance filed with the .
Reed 2 Reed was paid $560,742 by SLPS in the 2023-24 school year, according to the district鈥檚 check registers. The highway patrol has no record of inspecting any Reed 2 Reed buses operating in spring 2024, Brown said.
From July through September, SLPS paid Reed 2 Reed $121,550. Reed did not respond Monday to questions.