BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Public School parent Jocelyn Swick-Jemison is a mom of three boys who attend three different schools.
"We got the bad luck of having three different schedules," she said, "It makes our morning a three-hour process."
Her first gets picked up at 6:55 in the morning. The next, 7:55.
"And then my last gets picked up a 8:45 when the bus is on time," she explained.
With a new three-tier bell system this year, Swick-Jemison said the First Student buses have been running late in the morning and afternoon.
"They get home at three different times — the first one is always on time because he's the first one and then they get progressively late," she said.
Last week she said her oldest son never got picked up for school. She checked an app, that allows parents and students to track the school bus, and noticed it never showed up.
"And his teacher called me and goes, 'Oh where's Elliot he's supposed to be here for a field trip,' and so my husband had to leave work and go home and get him," she explained, "You would expect by now for it to settle down but I'm getting text messages from two of their schools that are saying in the afternoon, 'Hey, we don't have a bus driver for this route, we don't have a bus driver for this route. If you can come pick up your kids.'"
Keith Jones, the head of the transportation committee on the Buffalo Parent Teacher Organization, said he plans to host a summit to discuss all transportation matters in the coming weeks.
"It's a new system and it's gonna take time to improve it and the parents have to be patient," Jones said, "It's not gonna be a quick fix deal it's just everybody can sit there and they can hear and what they really need to do is hear the driver's perspective."
At a recent school board meeting, the district provided the most recent transportation trends noting there are "consistent times for pick up and drop off" this year but there are some late morning buses.
"I'd like to see the district hold First Student accountable," Swick-Jemison said, "I know my kids will be OK, but I worry about the kids who don't have those resources it's not fair."
7 News did reach out to BPS and First Student about the complaints.
“Shortening the average length of time students are on buses, covering all bus routes, and using the full seven-hour instructional day provide more equitable instruction and social engagement. It is important to stress that the new three-tier system is continuing to improve coverage and avoid shortages. Routes are approximately 17% shorter and average ride time is nearly 22% shorter. All morning bus routes have remained covered and afternoon coverage has significantly improved since last school year. BPS’ Department of Transportation continues to work with First Student, staff, and parents to increase efficiencies and help eliminate delays. We appreciate parents and teachers’ patience as we implement this year’s new bus schedule.”
The new three-tier system is an adjustment for everyone, including us. Ride times and route coverage have improved considerably compared to the start of school last year. We continue to work in partnership with the district to refine routes to ensure buses are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible.
