New York City parents who have been grappling with shoddy school bus services are now setting their sights on Albany for assistance, following the Panel for Education Policy's approval of a disputed three-year contract extension with the city's key yellow bus operators. Despite the ongoing issues hampering timely and reliable transportation – especially for the city's disabled students – the majority of the panel saw the extension as a necessary evil to allow the city time to craft and negotiate improved contracts. As Gothamist reported, member Shirley Aubin acknowledged the dire situation: "It's not right, some of the conditions that are happening right now." However, she added, "it's not an overnight thing ... to get a contract that all parties can live with and more importantly, that's conducive for our families and our scholars."
The dated agreements, first negotiated back in 1979, include a contentious labor protection clause that has been a thorn in the side of the city's attempts to rehaul the contracts. After a 2011 state court ruling against this provision, claiming it stifled competition, the city has been caught in limbo, extending outdated contracts to avoid further service disruptions and potential strikes by bus drivers. A stellar attempt by lawmakers to introduce legislation that could help reconcile this issue has, so far, not made it past the legislative stasis. During the recent meeting, parents and officials like city Comptroller Brad Lander agreed on the urgency of pushing for the bills, with Lander emphasizing, "What is critical is that we all stick together and get to work in making the change that will be necessary," as he told the Gothamist.
On the other side of the debate, the recent vote on the three-year contract has brought a temporary sigh of relief to families fearful of losing transportation services for their children come January. Covering about 150,000 public school students, which includes close to 68,000 with disabilities, the city officials have defended this move as a necessary step to ensure continued service and stability, as reported by FOX 5 New York. With advocates pushing for conditions, such as guaranteed route reliability and better communication to be fulfilled by the bus companies, there remains a strong sentiment among parents to remain vigilant on whether the new contract will indeed hold the companies accountable and rectify the long-standing punctuality and service issues.
While representatives from the likes of Total Transportation, a significant bus operator, have reportedly reached out to seek collaboration with parents for enhancements, some still stand in opposition. Echoing the sentiments of the disheartened, panel member Faraji Hannah-Jones questioned the message being sent to the city's young learners, stating in a meeting covered by Gothamist: "What does this system tell our most vulnerable students? It tells them that their time is not valuable, that their safety is negotiable, that we do not believe in their potential enough to fight for a system that dignifies them." Moreover, acknowledging the community pushback on the formerly proposed five-year deal, Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos conceded to the discontent over the duration, as parents and stakeholders called for something significantly shorter.
