Taking Action: Lee County woman starts bus service before school year begins

Reporter: Lindsey Sablan Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:

Frustrations persist in Lee County as the school bus system continues to give students and parents alike, provoking action from one woman.

Gabriella Pirolo and her mother, Ms. Rose, have taken to the streets with their school transportation service, Kids Commute.

“A lot of parents came forward to me asking for assistance with offering pickups and helping them with transportation,” said Pirolo. We actually just had a family sign up with us the other day for North Fort Myers High, and her reasoning for signing up was that the school bus would pick her up at 4:30 in the morning and school starts at 7:15 a.m.”

Lee County parents are dealing with late school buses, in part because the pick-up zones are shrinking, reducing the pick-up range for students.

To solve the lateness issue, Pirolo expanded her daycare business to encompass transportation to and from school.

The alternative has provided some relief for parents like single mother Vanessa Rodriguez and her daughter Angeline.

“I was struggling with my work. My mom was picking her up when she had time, but it was really hard for us to find someone to pick her up at school,” said Vanessa Rodriguez.

All drivers hired by Kids Commute have had their Department of Transportation physicals and level two background checks and are fingerprinted.

Dash-cams are provided within each vehicle, recording inside the vehicle from the inside and outside.

Currently, Kids Commute operates within Cape Coral and North Fort Myers, offering morning and afternoon rides, one and two-way transportation, daycares, and elementary-to-high schools. 

For more information regarding Kids Commute and to sign up for service, click here.

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