Elizabeth Forward sues bus company over broken contract

Transportation for first day of school in doubt

More than 2,300 students in the Elizabeth Forward School District may not have a bus ride on their first day of school next week if the district and bus company can’t come to an agreement.

The school district has sued Pennsylvania Coach Lines in civil court to force the company to honor a contract extension that was approved by the school board last year. But the transportation company said it never agreed to the contract, and that the district owes more than $1 million for past services.

“It would be impossible to get a whole new bus company here within a couple of days,” Superintendent Todd Keruskin said. “We have to get in front of a judge.”

District officials said 2,343 students — including several hundred with special needs — would not have district-provided transportation at the start of the school year on Aug. 22 if they can’t reach a resolution.

The school district sued Pennsylvania Coach Lines in Allegheny Common Pleas Court on Thursday after leaders said the company notified them on Aug. 2 that it would not honor a contract extension approved by the school board last October.

Mr. Keruskin said the school board first approved the contract with Pennsylvania Coach Lines in 2008 and then approved a contract extension through 2023 last year, after a presentation was made by the bus company.

He said the district has tried unsuccessfully for the past two weeks to resolve the situation “amicably” and avoid litigation. Mr. Keruskin said the bus company gave him no reason for its decision to stop transporting students.

But David L. Sunstein, president and owner of Pennsylvania Coach Lines, said the company and the district were unable to agree on a contract after the old one expired on June 30. He also said the district owed the bus company more than $1.1 million for past services as of December 2018. As a result, he said, the company notified the school district of its “intentions to allocate the buses elsewhere.”

“The students, families and staff of Elizabeth Forward have my full empathyand my heartfelt and genuine concern, however the school district must take responsibility for its own shortcomings,” Mr. Sunstein said in a statement Friday. “We cannot account for the failure of the

superintendent to negotiate in good faith and see to it that a fully written and integrated contract was executed in a timely fashion by the school district.”

The lawsuit seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief that would require the bus company to comply with the contract.

The district will provide updates to the situation via its website and social media accounts. Mr. Keruskin said the district will use its communication systems to give parents daily updates on the situation.

“I’m here to help our kids and support our kids and our kids deserve the best here at Elizabeth Forward, and that’s the bottom line,” he said.