NYC Students Face Bus Service Cuts as Contract Dispute Escalates

Close to 150,000 students in New York City risk losing their school bus services next month due to a contract dispute involving private bus operators. A formal warning issued on October 30 indicates that if the city’s education panel fails to approve an extension of the bus companies’ contract, they may lay off 12,000 unionized drivers and attendants by the end of the business day on October 31.

The private school bus operators have been working under emergency extensions since their previous contracts expired over the summer. The Panel for Educational Policy plans to discuss the latest extension during a meeting scheduled for November 29. This ongoing situation highlights a broader crisis within the city’s $1.9 billion school transportation system, which heavily relies on a complex network of contracted service providers to transport students, including those with disabilities and those living in homeless shelters.

Concerns about service reliability have been mounting for years, with parents frequently reporting bus delays and no-shows. According to Randi Levine, the policy director at Advocates for Children of New York, many families experience significant disruptions. “We hear from hundreds of families every year,” Levine said. “This problem disproportionately impacts working parents who struggle to maintain their jobs due to inconsistent bus service.”

City officials have yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the situation. The ongoing contract negotiations have prompted numerous research reports, audits, and City Council hearings over the years. Local education authorities are advocating for legislative changes that they believe would allow for competitive rebidding of the contracts, many of which have been in place for nearly 50 years.

A previous attempt to pass such legislation was vetoed in 2020 by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is currently running as an independent candidate for mayor. The most recent contract proposal, which has been under negotiation for nearly a year and endorsed by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration, seeks to extend the agreement by five years. It includes enhancements such as improved GPS tracking for parents and investments in minority- and women-owned businesses, electric vehicles, and workforce training.

Despite these improvements, advocates argue that the proposal does not adequately address the systemic changes required for a robust transportation system. The Panel for Educational Policy has opted for short-term emergency extensions while soliciting feedback from parents and experts.

During a discussion about the impact of the transportation issues, Greg Faulker, chair of the city’s school board, recalled a distressing incident: “A friend came to me one day and said, ‘Greg, I don’t know where my son is.’” Faulkner later learned that the boy, who has a serious disability, had been diverted to another borough during his bus ride home. “I thought that was a fluke… then I started hearing it’s common,” he added.

In response to the growing tension, bus companies have delayed notifying the Department of Labor about potential layoffs, awaiting the outcome of the panel’s upcoming meeting. The agenda does not currently include a proposal for a contract extension, which has led to the filing of the warning.

The contractors have indicated that without an emergency extension in place by November 1, service cuts will commence. Sean Crowley, a lawyer representing the bus companies, emphasized the impracticality of indefinite emergency extensions. “These companies are labor-intensive and require multi-year labor contracts,” Crowley stated. “A five-year cycle is necessary to ensure labor stability and to cover the costs of new buses and real estate needed to operate safely.”

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1181, which represents school bus drivers, has expressed support for the proposed five-year extension. Carolyn Rinaldi, the union’s vice president, urged the city to prioritize students and the dedicated workers who transport them daily. “Put politics aside and let’s get serious,” Rinaldi wrote in an email. “This is about the students who depend on school bus service every day, and the thousands of dedicated, professional school bus workers who safely transport New York City’s most precious cargo — our children.”

The outcome of this contract dispute will have significant implications for both students and their families, as well as for the stability of the bus service workforce in New York City.