Bused or bust
Some students left waiting for ride on first day of school
More than 50,000 Boston students returned to the classroom Thursday morning, but for some, getting to school was the hardest part of the day due to bus delays and route changes.
The district had warned families they might not be informed of bus delays or changes until the morning of school, and Boston Public Schools parents took to social media to share their concerns.
One parent said the bus didn’t even show up, and another said their kids got off the bus after homeroom had already started. A third parent shared via Twitter that their child’s bus was “not covered.”
The service disruptions followed calls from the union to postpone the first day of school due to a driver shorter and routing that was described as “by far the worst fiasco we’ve witnessed in our careers,” as previously reported in the Herald.
City councilors braced for disruptions, and families didn’t hesitate to reach out.
“I spent the morning getting calls from irate parents wondering if their child’s bus was just late or not coming at all,” said City Councilor At-Large Michael Flaherty.
“Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies reap tremendous profit from Boston residents, especially with the return of their surge pricing hustle. They should step up as good corporate citizens and do their part to help our children get to school on time,” Flaherty said.
He called on ride-hailing companies to offer Boston students transportation until the school department fixes the school bus driver shortage.
In a press release, the district said, “All BPS morning bus routes were covered, with some routes departing late. Late bus departures impacted a relatively small percentage of BPS students, and all families and schools were notified proactively about any bus routes that were initially without driver coverage.”
On-time bus performance was 57% on Thursday, according to the district, which beats the 48% fiveyear average for the first day of school. About 96% of buses arrived within 30 minutes of the bell, according to BPS.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey, who joined BPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius at Orchard Gardens K-8 School to welcome students Thursday morning, said she empathized with parents and students feeling anxious about the first day waiting for the bus to come.
“Our bus drivers are working hard to get our school children to school on time and our school leaders and our teachers were there to welcome them. So I think this is a wonderful, joyful day in our city,” Janey said.
First day attendance was just over 80%, the highest on record, according to BPS. The district prepared for the return of full-time, in-person learning amid the delta variant by improving HVAC systems, repairing windows, delivering masks and preparing for regular testing.