Update (Friday, Sept. 8): Chancellor David Banks announced that there are no anticipated school bus strikes planned for Monday, Sept. 11.
School buses and their drivers made the rounds as normal during the first two days of the new school year, but there’s no guarantee that will continue into the first full week of classes starting Monday, New York City education officials warned.
Drivers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) are still in contract negotiations with various bus companies that the city Department of Education charters to transport some 85,000 students to and from school each day. Though a strike is not imminent, parents and students may still experience disruptions and delays as a result of a process where drivers pick their routes, which has now been pushed back because of the negotiations.
At a Sept. 6 press conference, Schools Chancellor David Banks acknowledged the news circulating about the potential of a bus strike. While a walkout could impact tens of thousands of public school students, Banks maintained that the city is not taking the front seat in the contract talks.
“This isn’t a straightforward negotiation between the city and the union,” Banks said. “The Department of Education is not at the bargaining table for this agreement. Instead, multiple bus companies are engaged.”
While the city had been assured that there are no bus strikes planned for the first two days, Banks said that some “steps that must be taken by the companies and the ATU prior to the first day of school have been delayed.” Those steps included drivers choosing their own routes and going on “dry runs” to review them.
“Last week, the ATU delayed this process,” Banks said. “This may result in some drivers being placed on unfamiliar bus routes.”
Emma Vadehra, chief operating officer for the DOE, added that these “driver picks” where drivers receive their routes was supposed to happen last week, but are now delayed.
“We are told by the vendors and the ATU that it’s still happening now, but it’s happening in expedited manner this week,” Vadehra said. “That’s where we’re hopeful all will be smooth, but it could lead to some additional disruptions.”
Contingency plan
If a bus strike were to occur, roughly 86,000 students in total could be impacted, including roughly 27,000 students with disabilities, 7,000 students in temporary housing, 700 students in foster care, 14,000 charter school students, and 12,000 non-public school students.
The Department of Education’s leadership team has devised an “array of transportation solutions and dedicated arrangements” for students and their families including pre-paid rideshare and transportation reimbursement for students with disabilities.
“Our leadership team has developed a contingency plan in the event of a strike that we hope will minimize its impact on our students and their families,” Banks said.
The administration is also working on providing MetroCards for students and their families, according to Vadehra.
Around 32,000 students will qualify for the prepaid rideshare and reimbursement, including students with disabilities who have transportation on their Individualized Education Plans, students in temporary housing, and students in foster care.
“We actually will be recommending to families that they use the prepaid rideshare,” Vadehra said. “We have a vendor that we’ll be making available. We’re working with that vendor to scale up the families they can serve.”
If families choose to use the prepaid rideshare option, Vadehra assured that families would not be paying any money upfront, and that the DOE would be paying the vendor directly for those services.
For those who do pay out of pocket, the DOE “will be offering reimbursement to make sure we can get everybody covered,” said Vadehra.
“We’re working try and expedite the reimbursement process,” Vadehra. “We’re adding some additional staff.”
Banks said that school staff would also be supporting families with accessing alternative transportation arrangements.
Melissa Ramos, chief of staff in the chancellor’s office, added that all transportation options offered to students will also be offered to the city’s asylum-seeking families.
“In terms of where we are right now, both parties are talking,” Banks said. “We’re continuing to push for a quick resolution.”
Kim Moore-Ward, chief executive for labor policy at the DOE, said that the city has been “in contact with the union and the bus companies.
“We’re assured that there will be no bus strike this week,” Moore-Ward said. “They’re continuing negotiations again on Friday afternoon.”
