More Than 2,000 NYC students with disabilities could start school without bus service
Advocates and parents say the problem is not new and could have significant consequences for students with disabilities and their families.
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As New York City Public Schools students return to class Thursday, thousands of children who rely on school transportation may begin the school year without bus service.
Advocates and parents say the problem is not new and could have significant consequences for students with disabilities and their families.
According to a letter shared with News 12, the city's Office of Pupil Transportation recently informed school leaders that a shortage of school bus vendors will leave some routes without yellow bus service at the start of the school year.
Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, said more than 2,000 students with disabilities could be affected.
"There are families who may not yet know that their child will not have a school bus this week," Levine said.
Levine warned that a lack of reliable transportation can prevent students from attending school altogether and place additional burdens on parents and caregivers.
"It could result in students not being able to make it to school at all. It could result in families having to miss work. And we've even heard in past years about families losing their jobs when there was no bus service in place," she said.
The city has acknowledged ongoing transportation challenges and is offering free rideshare services as a temporary solution for impacted students. However, an adult must accompany students to and from school when using the service.
Some parents say that is not a realistic option.
"That's unacceptable," said parent Annica. "School's been out from the end of June and now it's September. They should have been well prepared."
Tikisha Mills, a parent and former school nurse, said many families simply cannot rearrange their schedules to accommodate transportation gaps.
"You have to go to work. You have maybe class, you're trying to better yourself, or if you have other children, you have to see about other things in life," Mills said. "It's like a kick in the gut. It's unfair.
Depending on the needs of the student, she says there's a lot to also consider with a rideshare.
"You have children who have different size of wheelchairs," said Mills. "You have some that have extra assistive devices. That has to go in a huge space. Now if they're going on a rideshare, you know, you have to have nurses for some students."
Parents of students with disabilities say transportation is especially critical because specialized schools are often located far from students' neighborhoods, requiring long commutes across the city.
Advocates argue that since bus companies can choose which routes they take, students with the most complex transportation needs are often the ones left without service.
"Many of our school bus contracts go back to 1979," Levine said. "We need the city to update those contracts and overhaul our school transportation system."
City officials say they are working to strengthen career pipelines for drivers and expand bus fleets to address ongoing shortages. They add that their goal is to provide transportation for every affected student as quickly as possible.
