The threat of a strike by school bus drivers exacerbated pickup delays that are typical on the first day of school, advocates and parents told Gothamist on Thursday.
Education department data showed more than 500 school bus delays starting at 5:30 a.m. The vast majority of delays affected special education buses, with heavy traffic, engine trouble and flat tires listed as common causes.
On Wednesday, the Department of Education warned families that bus delays were a possibility on the first day of school because of ongoing negotiations between ATU Local 1181 — the union representing New York City school bus drivers — and contracted bus companies. The negotiations had delayed the process of assigning drivers bus routes, practicing runs, and notifying families of pickup times, according to the education department.
The delays were spread out across the five boroughs.
Paullette Healy, a parent and member of the citywide council for District 75 serving public school students with disabilities, said the potential bus strike is “exacerbating an already existing problem.”
The delays “are higher than usual due to the bus strike,” she said.
Bus delays on the first day of school are a perennial problem. But Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children, said the threat of a strike created “an added layer of complication” this year.
In 2019, there were nearly 700 bus delays on the entire first day of school as the education department rolled out a new GPS tracking system. As of 1 p.m. on Thursday there were 581 bus delays, with school still in session.
A bus drivers’ strike could affect around 80,000 students – many of whom have disabilities. Levine noted that students with disabilities typically have to travel further to go school.
The union vowed not to strike the first week of school, but has left open the possibility of its members walking off the job in the near future.
According to Healy, some parents who expected their kids to be picked up at 6:15…
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