Vandalism at Durham's Schenectady bus fleet earlier this month left roughly 1,800 students scrambling for rides to class. Police have arrested Nicolas S. Persaud, 25, of Schenectady, who was arraigned in Schenectady City Court and charged with one count of second-degree criminal mischief.
According to the Times Union, Persaud is accused of damaging windows, mirrors, doors and cameras on the buses, per a police statement. The vandalism damaged about 45 buses used by the Schenectady City School District and caused an estimated $30,000 in damage, the paper reported, a figure also reported by CBS 6 Albany.
The timing of the attack has been described differently across reports. The Times Union states the vandalism occurred on October 11, while an earlier account from spectrumlocalnews.com said police believed the damage happened sometime between Friday evening and Tuesday morning over the holiday weekend, as reported by CBS 6 Albany. Spectrum reported that Durham notified police of the vandalism at its lot at 500 Sterling Avenue at around 5:40 a.m. that Tuesday.
A Fleet Grounded Overnight
The damage was extensive enough to immobilize nearly the entire contracted fleet. Per wamc.org, the vandalism left broken windows, reflectors and mirrors on 45 buses belonging to Durham, the contractor that operates buses for the Schenectady City School District. The scale of the damage meant Durham could not run its usual morning pickup routes, according to spectrumlocalnews.com, which reported the company was unable to get students to school that Tuesday morning.
With service disrupted, the district asked some families to find their own way to school. Spectrum's report noted that families were encouraged to drive, carpool or walk their children rather than wait on buses that weren't coming. The disruption, per the seed reporting, left about 1,800 students without their normal transportation.
Scrambling For Backup Rides
District officials and Durham moved quickly to patch together alternatives. The district contracts with six bus companies in total, including Durham, and Capital Bus stepped in to help cover routes that Tuesday morning, as noted by NY1. The same report noted that plan was part of a broader effort to keep as many students moving as possible while the damaged fleet was out of commission.
How District Transportation Works
The Schenectady City School District says it does not own a bus fleet and contracts with six vendors: Durham, Brown, Capital Bus, A+, CDTA and Amazing Grace Transportation Companies, according to the district. The district's published eligibility policy provides transportation to certain students with disabilities and to resident public and private school pupils in Pre-K through 12 who meet distance requirements. Eligible elementary pupils live more than 1.0 but less than 5.5 miles from school; eligible middle and high school pupils live more than 1.5 but less than 5.5 miles away.
Durham also said it would bring in reinforcements from elsewhere in its network. The company said it was bringing in buses from a nearby facility over the following days to help restore service, according to the same wamc.org report that detailed the extent of the damage. That same outlet noted Durham was cooperating with the police investigation and had turned over footage captured by exterior cameras at its facilities, evidence that may have aided investigators in identifying a suspect.
Cost Of Damage Still Murky
Exactly how much the vandalism will cost Durham remains something of a moving target. The Times Union's seed reporting pegged the damage at $30,000, but an earlier account from dailygazette.com said the company was still unsure of the cost of the damage as of that Tuesday evening, before any final tally had been reached. Neither figure has been reconciled publicly, and it's unclear whether the $30,000 estimate reflects a later, more complete assessment.
Persaud's arraignment in Schenectady City Court marks a break in a case that briefly upended school transportation across the district. No further details on bail, a plea, or whether Persaud has retained an attorney were included in the available reporting.
