On Monday, Sept. 30, New York City Council’s Committee on Education and Committee on Contracts will hold an oversight hearing on school transportation services and rebidding contracts.

 

Under New York City Law, the Department of Education (DOE) is required to provide transportation to all eligible NYC students in public, charter and non-public schools. City officials said that NYC School Bus Umbrella Services (NYCSBUS), a city-controlled nonprofit, currently operates around 835 routes with a contract worth about $890 million from January 2021 to June 2026.

 

They said the committees will seek to understand how DOE plans to resolve transportation challenges, including examining efforts to provide students with timely bus routes, MetroCards, and rideshare reimbursement. They said the committees are also interested in understanding whether transportation services have improved under NYCSBUS and how the upcoming rebidding of transportation contracts can address school transportation issues.

 

They said the committees will also hear Introduction 515, which would require DOE to report annually on the number of employees per school bus vendor who are trained to handle specific requirements for the transportation of students with disabilities who may or may not have individualized education programs, and Resolution 250, which would call on the State to require all school buses operating within the State, regardless of seating capacity, to have a stop-arm on each side. [The latter is a safety device on a school bus that is used to indicate to other drivers to stop while children are getting on or off a school bus.]

Council Member Rita Joseph is the chair of the committee on education, and Council Member Julie Won is the chair of the committee on contracts.

 

Council Members, NYC Department of Education officials, officials from the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, and members of the public are expected to join the hearing, which will take place at City Hall in Manhattan and which will also be livestreamed on Monday, Sept. 30, at 10 a.m.

 

As reported, NYC Public Schools now has a free bus app to help parents coordinate and track their child’s bus rides. For more information, click here.