"One year after the Boston public schools began using new software to manage school bus routes, some parents and teachers say that problems are worse than ever....
So which well-connected friend got the contract?
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"School buses still arriving to class late; Boston official speaks of a crisis" October 26, 2011|By Akilah Johnson, Globe Staff
Nearly two months into the school year, 25 percent of Boston’s public school buses are still delivering students late to class, sometimes up to an hour after the first bell rings.
District administrators have struggled unsuccessfully for just over a year to untangle transportation problems, and the School Committee now says transit woes have ballooned into a crisis that must be fixed.
“While it is completely inexcusable now, three weeks from now if there is not a full grasp and full movement toward resolution, then it’s beyond reason,’’ the Rev. Gregory Groover Sr., chairman of the School Committee, said in a telephone interview. “At this point, we see it as a systemic problem that needs to be addressed. It’s a crisis.’’
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"Menino orders oversight of busing; Assigns top aide to monitor drivers and dispatchers" October 28, 2011|By Stephanie Ebbert and Akilah Johnson, Globe Staff
Expressing frustration over the continued late arrival of Boston public school buses, Mayor Thomas M. Menino has ordered a top aide to monitor dispatchers and drivers and demanded a meeting with leaders of the private company that runs the buses.
The mayor acted as one in four buses are still arriving late - some delivering students to school nearly an hour after classes begin - even though the school year is nearly two months old. Each day, 32,684 students are assigned to board 611 yellow school buses in the city.
“It’s a very serious problem,’’ Menino said yesterday. “I meet parents all the time, and they’re really frustrated. I’m as frustrated as they are. The system’s broken. It has to be fixed.’’
This week, the mayor asked his special assistant, Patrick Harrington, to step in and “ride herd on it.’’
Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said her staff has started monitoring the four bus yards managed by First Student Inc., the company that is under contract with the district to provide transportation services. She called the monitoring redundant but necessary....
Authorities acknowledged that blame for the problem is not confined to the district’s contractor. The School Department implemented a series of changes since last school year, increasing transportation options for special needs students, closing and merging campuses, and consolidating more than 1,500 routes. But the district shortened the timeframe to create, test, and modify bus routes.
The department started devising routes last year with new computer software that tends to underestimate the time it takes to get from the bus yard and to pickup stops and schools....
Yeah, I'm still waiting for the bus to show.
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"Late buses still problem at some schools" by Stephanie Ebbert | Globe Staff, November 06, 2011
Boston school officials have added seven more buses to their working fleet and scheduled additional route changes for tomorrow morning as they continue their effort to reduce the number of children arriving late to class each day.
Nearly 15 percent of Boston school buses were late for school again Friday, a modest improvement from the prior week, when 19 percent of buses were late.
Administrators said many of the buses were arriving just a few minutes late - as opposed to an hour behind schedule, as some were weeks ago. With the additional changes coming this week, they hope they will boost on-time arrivals to over 90 percent.
“We’ve seen statistical gains. It hasn’t just been incremental; it’s been legitimate,’’ said Kim Rice, the Boston Public Schools’ assistant chief operating officer, who oversees transportation, “I’m very encouraged.’’
Pffft.
But problems continued to dog particular schools....
I got sick of waiting and went home.
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