Liz Bowie
@lizbowie.bsky.social
Education reporter for The Baltimore Banner, a nonprofit news organization.
In journalism we’re used to pointing out problems, not solving them. This was a chance to think differently and offer Baltimore kids and parents solutions.
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
School buses for every Baltimore student seemed impossible — until now
School transportation company HopSkipDrive used AI and a Banner analysis to map how yellow buses, vans and cars could get Baltimore students to school safely and on time for less than 5% of the distri...
www.thebanner.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 PM
In journalism we’re used to pointing out problems, not solving them. This was a chance to think differently and offer Baltimore kids and parents solutions.
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
Take a look and tell us what you think.
www.thebanner.com/education/k-...
We set out to see if there were solutions. And we found at least one. It would get 35,000 students to school using yellow buses, vans and cars — in one trip.
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
We set out to see if there were solutions. And we found at least one. It would get 35,000 students to school using yellow buses, vans and cars — in one trip.
A system that struggles to get adults to work on time was not designed to get children as young as 11 to school safely.
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
A system that struggles to get adults to work on time was not designed to get children as young as 11 to school safely.
What makes it worse is that after fifth grade, every student can choose their school. What was intended to be a liberating process complicates daily commutes.
November 20, 2025 at 7:26 PM
What makes it worse is that after fifth grade, every student can choose their school. What was intended to be a liberating process complicates daily commutes.
We investigated just how bad the problem was. Turns out it’s terrible — a quarter of city buses that students take in the morning don’t show up on time. Or at all.
And the result is Baltimore’s kids are left behind — often failing their first-period classes.
And the result is Baltimore’s kids are left behind — often failing their first-period classes.
November 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
We investigated just how bad the problem was. Turns out it’s terrible — a quarter of city buses that students take in the morning don’t show up on time. Or at all.
And the result is Baltimore’s kids are left behind — often failing their first-period classes.
And the result is Baltimore’s kids are left behind — often failing their first-period classes.