Buffalo advocates, parents fed up as BPS works to get more school bus drivers on the road

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Parents say Buffalo Public Schools aren’t doing enough to address the transportation shortage.

The district lost 150 drivers going into this year and as a result, it had to cut back on more than 100 routes.

But a month into the school year, parents say the problem isn’t getting better.

And advocates say they’re being ignored by the district

“And the lack of response from the district really parents at risk. Having kids not getting picked up in the morning, getting dropped off late in the afternoon. Having children on the buses without a bus aid, no 30-40-50-60 kids on a bus with no bus aid, you know, not offering real solutions,” said Samuel L. Radford III, parent advocate.

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In a statement to News 4, a spokesperson for BPS said the transportation department has been working to address parent’s concerns. The district is cautiously optimistic that more drivers will be hired by the end of the month. And says it’s also hiring as many bus aids as possible.

The District’s transportation department has implemented a multi faceted approach to alleviating the transportation concerns, which are an issue all over the nation, and we have realized dramatic improvement during the first three weeks of school.  Ultimately, additional significant improvement will not be realized until more drivers are on boarded by First Student, which we are cautiously optimistic will happen by the end of this month.  

Further:  

-Paying parents to transport. Not feasible.  

-Bus aides on every bus.  We hire as many as we can every year.  We have the dollars, and an ongoing recruitment efforts.

-Remote Learning.  3 instances only this year:  Medical exempts, Quarantine, Disciplinary.  

-There will be no apologies from either side.

Buffalo Public Schools