Photo: Madison Rogers/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Some Boston leaders are calling for action amid a bumpy start to the school year.
According to new data from the district, only 34% of Boston Public Schools buses made it on time for the first day of school last week.
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City Councilor Ed Flynn called it an unacceptable failure at Wednesday's council meeting.
"Parents told me they waited for their children for as long as an hour for school buses, and while some students were eventually picked up, others had to make alternative arrangements," Flynn said.
Fellow councilor Julia Mejia also expressed frustration with bus tardiness.
"When you are a single mom and you have three kids and two jobs, what we need is for [the] city to function in ways that are going to get people to where they need to be, because that’s money out of her pocket," Mejia said.
BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper told WBZ NewsRadio that the problems are only temporary as bus drivers get used to new tracking technology and an influx of new students.
"We knew there would be a learning curve on that first day and particularly the first couple weeks of school," Skipper said. "Please know that we will be working very hard and that over the next couple of weeks, we will see a return to normal."
"Unfortunately, school bus delays and no shows on the first week of school is not a new issue," Flynn said at Wednesday's meeting. "Our BPS families deserve better."
BPS is under a state mandate to have 95% of its school buses arrive on time as part of a deal reached to avoid receivership.
A city council hearing on the matter is in the works.
WBZ's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports.
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