150,000 complaints lodged against NYC school buses in a single school year, audit reveals
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander says 150,000 complaints were made against the city's school buses in a single school year.
Lander said he knew the system was broken before he put it through the audit.
"Services remain poor and disproportionately harm students with special needs," Lander said.
What the audit shows
According to the report, the Department of Education failed to collect $42.6 million in bus company violations this year and last, and of the thousands upon thousands of complaints, 14,000 reported a bus was a no-show. In addition, 99% of routes deemed too long or with too many stops by bus drivers were for students with disabilities.
"We currently don't have enough bus drivers for the routes that we have right now, so we're seeing the result of doubled-up routes," parent and advocate Rima Izquierdo said.
City school bus contracts are over 45 years old. Renewals, like the three-year agreement reached last month, continue the status quo.
Lander has called on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to appoint a school bus czar to work on a solution now.
Mamdani's office did not comment on the idea, but said the mayor-elect will, "strictly enforce the terms of the DOE's contract with bus companies."
One family's love/hate relationship with NYC school buses
Harriet Barovick has a school bus success story. She just doesn't know why.
Her son, Max, uses a wheelchair. When his bus wouldn't come, or would come late, she wrote letters, called elected officials, and complained to the DOE. She heard nothing back, but said a new driver was assigned to Max's route.
"I love him. He's the coolest guy. He and Max have a bond," Barovick said.
Barovick said she is hugely relieved, but also confused and wondering how her problem got fixed and whether it's permanent.
"Maybe five times a day we were calling," Barovick said of her persistence, but added she would "panic" if there was another problem and a different driver showed up the next day.
The DOE told CBS News New York in a statement, "We always investigate any and all complaints thoroughly and hold all individuals accountable for any major issues."