The nationwide shortage of bus drivers has pushed parents to get creative with school transportation. Many parents are beginning to carpool using the Piggyback app to help them coordinate. Carpooling can save time and energy for families, but it can also be a headache if persistent conflicts crop up. What are some of the most frequent carpooling disputes, and how can you handle them? 

Common Carpooling Disputes

• Showing up late: Parents who consistently show up late for the carpool can not only frustrate other parents and cause them to be late for work, but can also impact the grades and learning of the children in the carpool. Frequent tardies can cause a loss of valuable instructional time and may even show up in their records as a truancy issue. Because of the potential consequences, it is particularly important to handle this carpooling dispute quickly and effectively. 
• Constant schedule changes: Carpooling is only helpful if it’s something you and your family can count on. If you have a parent in the carpool who always needs to change their assigned day or wants to flip things at the last minute, this can be more stressful than just taking your child to school yourself. 
• Before and after school snacks: This may not seem like an issue, but school snacks are a common cause of carpooling disputes. Some parents may be upset if other children eat in their car without permission. Additionally, many children have food allergies, so it is essential to touch base with other parents before feeding a child that isn’t your own. 
• Leaving items behind: You may think your carpooling shift is over only to find a lunchbox, a textbook, and a soccer ball in your backseat, causing you to contact three different parents and lengthen your evening. eaving items behind in the car creates a logistical mess for everyone involved and lessens the effectiveness of the carpool. 

Talking Points

What can you do or say to solve these carpooling disputes before they worsen? Here are some talking points to use with other parents to prevent and manage conflicts. 

• “I’m noticing that my child has a few tardies on her attendance record. How can we support each other to make sure the carpool arrives on time?” Opening the tardiness conversation with a question can help other parents feel less defensive and encourage a constructive problem-solving dialogue. You may find that the day doesn’t work well for that parent, or that there’s an issue with the morning routine that you can troubleshoot together. 
• “Let’s create a calendar with designated days for everyone. If we need to change days, can we try to do that 48 hours in advance?” Gettingahead of schedule changes can prevent a lot of conflict, and having a hard and fast rule about last minute changes can save everyone a lot of morning scrambling. 
• “My child is always really hungry after school. Is it okay if I bring snacks for all the kids in the carpool? What dietary restrictions does everyone have?” This is an easy dispute to prevent before it even starts by communicating expectations clearly. 
• “Here’s a list of items that might be forgotten in the car. Let’s go through this list when we’re driving to make sure everyone has what they need before they get out.” This list might include items like lunchboxes, jackets, recess equipment, or books. You may also want to create a rule that kids don’t take anything out of their backpacks in the car so they don’t forget anything. 

With clear communication and preventative planning, carpooling can be a stress-free experience for everyone!