30-year-old juggles 2 jobs and double shifts but keeps losing work due to school drop-off: 'As a mom, you just find a way around it'

"When Elizabeth Rivera's phone would ring during the overnight shift, it was usually because the bus didn't show up again and one of her three kids needed a ride to school. After leaving early from her job at a Houston-area Amazon warehouse several times, Rivera was devastated - but not surprised - when she was fired. "Right now, I'm kind of depressed about it," said Rivera, 42. "I'm depressed because of the simple fact that it's kind of hard to find a job, and there's bills I have to pay. But at the same time, the kids have to go to school.""

"Most parents drive their children to school, the survey found, and those responsibilities can have a major impact. About one-third of parents say taking their kids to school has caused them to miss work, according to the poll. Roughly 3 in 10 say they've been prevented from seeking or taking work opportunities. And 11% say school transportation has even caused them to lose a job."

"Mothers are especially likely to say school transportation needs have interfered with their jobs and opportunities. Smaller paychecks, bigger vulnerability The impact falls disproportionately on lower-income families. Around 4 in 10 parents with a household income below $100,000 a year said they've missed work due to pick-up needs, compared with around 3 in 10 parents with a household income of $100,000 or more. Meredyth Saieed and her two children, ages 7 and 10, used to live in a homeless shelter in North Carolina. Saieed said the kids' father has been incarcerated since May."

Unreliable school transportation forces many parents to miss work, lose jobs, or decline employment opportunities. About one-third of parents report missing work to take children to school. Roughly three in ten say transportation needs prevented them from seeking or taking jobs, and 11% say transportation caused job loss. Mothers report greater interference with employment than fathers. Lower-income households face larger burdens, with around 4 in 10 parents under $100,000 reporting missed work due to pick-up needs versus about 3 in 10 among higher-income households. Some families face compounded challenges from unstable housing or other family hardships.

Read at Fortune