NYC parents, lawmakers push for better school bus service for students with disabilities
New York City parents, lawmakers and advocates are pushing to amend a state law as some students with disabilities still don't have reliable bus service one week into the school year.
It's an issue that comes up every year, with roughly 68,000 students relying on these buses to get to class. Many are dealing with buses running late, excessively long rides, and some have no bus route at all.
"It never ever gets better. Why? Because the same school bus contracts have been in place for almost 50 years," New York City Councilman Lincoln Restler said at a press conference Thursday outside Department of Education headquarters.
One of the reasons they haven't just torn up these contracts is the protections that are baked into them for bus drivers. Under current state law, those would go away if they signed new contracts tomorrow, meaning those new contracts would just lead to an immediate work stoppage for bus drivers.
The proposed legislation would amend state law so that new contracts can be written up without the driver protections going away automatically, while also allowing for companies to bid competitively instead of the same companies getting hired every year.
The Department of Education released the following statement:
"We hear our families and those advocating for change. That's why we are exploring ways to modernize our school transportation system with thoughtful attention to accountability, reliability, and safety. Our students are a priority, and so are the dedicated drivers and matrons who get them to school every day. We're grateful for the advocacy, and we look forward to working collectively to deliver the transportation system our students and families deserve."
Parents expressed their frustration with the recurring issue.
Andrew Merlis told CBS News New York on Wednesday that his daughter Fiona, who has autism and had been without a bus route since the start of the school year, finally had been promised a bus for Thursday morning, but he didn't have faith that things would go smoothly.
Thursday, he said he was right to be wary.
"Almost to the minute of what I predicted is what happened," he said. "Our pickup time was 6:30, so I got myself down there at 6:20 ... Around 7, they said, 'Oh yeah, the bus driver said he showed up, called the phone number.'"
Merlis then learned the phone number provided to the bus companies from the Office of Pupil Transportation was an old phone number they hadn't used in over 10 years.
Parent Samantha Senior described her first experience with her son's busing in 2024.
"School ended at 2:20 p.m., but my 4-year-old sometimes didn't arrive home until minutes before 8 p.m.," she said.
Her son's transportation is now in a better place two years later, and she has advice for parents who are in the same position she used to be in.
"You have to do your own research, but there is help out there once you learn how to maneuver the system and get help for your children," Senior said. "Again, we shouldn't have to do that within New York City."
