CHICAGO — While driving his daughter to school, Ismael El-Amin noticed something that sparked an idea for a new way to help parents with carpooling. During their journey across Chicago, his daughter recognized a classmate in another car, leading to a friendly wave between the two girls. This simple moment made El-Amin realize that parents could help each other out when it comes to transportation.
Recognizing a gap in service as school districts struggle to provide adequate bus transportation, El-Amin launched the Piggyback Network. This service enables parents to coordinate rides for their children, especially as more students attend schools far from home. The reliance on traditional yellow school buses is falling, raising serious questions about how families can meet their transportation needs.
Government decisions on school bus services vary widely, and many districts are reducing what they offer. Approximately 28% of U.S. students now rely on school buses, a decline from 36% just a few years ago. For Chicago Public Schools, one of the largest districts in the country, the reduction has been significant. Currently, only a small fraction of students—about 17,000 out of 325,000—are eligible for bus rides.
Recently, the Chicago school district began a pilot program to provide limited bus service to a few students attending magnet or selective schools, but many advocates feel it’s not enough to address the need. Erin Rose Schubert, a volunteer with the CPS Parents for Buses group, notes that many families, especially those without the financial means, have had to make difficult choices, including pulling their kids from school.
Through Piggyback Network, parents can easily book rides with others traveling the same route. Rides cost about 80 cents per mile, and drivers earn credits for their own kids’ rides, fostering a community of parents helping each other.
Other innovative companies are stepping in to fill this transportation gap. HopSkipDrive, for example, works directly with school districts to provide rides for students in need. Since its launch, it has expanded to support hundreds of districts across multiple states. However, regulatory hurdles prevent it from operating in certain areas, like Kentucky, where students have taken matters into their own hands with community initiatives.
In California, companies like Kango have shifted their focus from a simple carpooling app to contracting with school districts, recognizing that transporting children involves more responsibility beyond just getting them from point A to point B.
Parents like Sabrina Beck, a retired police officer, have turned to services like Piggyback Network due to safety concerns, preferring to drive her son rather than have him take public transportation. Similarly, many families are finding creative solutions to cope with the loss of bus routes and are embracing new options for their children’s rides.
Other Chicago parents, like Jazmine Dillard, found themselves needing to adapt when their bus service was canceled. After her attempts to change school start times fell through, she turned to Piggyback Network to ensure her kids could get to school on time.
