ST. LOUIS—Missouri Central Bus company says it is terminating its contract with St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) early, leaving the district in search of a new bus vendor. 

The move comes following what the district says was a “tumultuous two school years” which included driver shortages and a “sickout.” During that time, SLPS says Missouri Central’s inability to maintain enough drivers to transport students has been “well documented.”

Missouri Central reported to the district that the driver shortage makes it “economically unviable” for them to honor their agreement.

In the last month, bus drivers staged a “sickout” after an employee said he found a noose at his workstation. The employee told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he believed it was in response to allegations against the company of unsafe work practices and discrimination.

Last week, the district says the bus company cited the racial allegations controversy as something that provided “irreparable harm to their reputation” and said they could no longer work with St. Louis Public Schools. 

According to the school district, Missouri Central said Monday it would end the contract on July 12, 2024 to provide service through summer school. SLPS said the contract was supposed to run through the 2024-2025 school year. The district says it was given no notice about the announcement. 

Missouri Central filed a letter notifying the state it planned to lay off 332 workers on June 30. Spectrum News reached out to Missouri Central for a response and is waiting for a reply.

SLPS officials also point out that in December 2023, Missouri Central demanded an additional $2 million for its services despite not meeting performance goals on staffing and delivering students on time for three straight semesters. 

SLPS says it will begin looking for new vendors to provide bus service and will provide an update on Friday.