The St. Louis Public Schools District is again scrambling to find reliable transportation for students as they head back to school Monday.

The district announced Saturday that another company, Xtra Care Services, notified school officials that it can no longer provide six buses needed to get students to school.

That means roughly 1,000 students at nearly two dozen schools will have to find alternative transportation.

They include students at Adams, Ashland AESM, Buder, Busch, Carr Lane, Columbia, Compton Drew, Dewey, Gateway STEM, Jefferson, Lexington, Long, Lyon Academy at Blow, Mullanphy, NCNAA (K-8), NCNAA at Roosevelt, Oak Hill, Roosevelt, Shaw, Washington Montessori, Wormer and Yeatman.

That followed a decision Wednesday by ShuttlePro to reduce the number of available buses from 45 to 25.

Most students will travel to school by yellow school bus. But many students in the district will instead take MetroBus, taxis or carpool. Some parents have received gas cards.

The district has been battling transportation disruptions since May, when its provider, Missouri Central Bus Co., terminated its contract. As a result, SLPS has struggled to find transportation for 14,000 students.

In July, the school board approved more than a dozen new transportation providers.

The latest announcement comes one week after district officials informed parents that transportation company First Student has agreed to provide additional buses and drivers for the upcoming school year.

District officials say they are working to notify parents of an alternative plan.

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