With the 2025-26 school year beginning on Tuesday, the Columbia Public Schools is debuting its partnership with a new school bus provider.

Beginning on the first day of school, CPS bus routes will now be run with busses provided by DS Bus Lines .

In an email to families on Friday, CPS announced that one of the key safety features highlighted by DS Bus Lines will not be available at the beginning of the school year. The Beacon Connect Mobile Family app, which will reportedly provide parents with alerts about students' busses, will not be available until September.

The Beacon Connect app was one of the features emphasized about the new partnership during an October 2024 transportation department meeting .

The Columbia Board of Education announced the three-year contract with DS Bus L

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