Boston City Council Committee on Education Hearing on Chronic School Bus Delays and Special Education Transportation Failures - March 31, 2026

This hearing, chaired by Councilor Julia Mejia, was convened to examine the ongoing school bus delays and special education transportation failures in Boston Public Schools. The hearing featured public testimony from parents, teachers, and advocates, followed by a presentation and Q&A with BPS Transportation Executive Director Dan Rosengard and Deputy Director Jackie Hayes. Key concerns included chronic delays, uncovered trips, safety issues, and the impact on families and students.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lori Murphy (Roslindale, parent of two BPS students at Hernandez School) reported that her bus route alone had over 20 days of cancellations or significant delays this school year, including 9 in the past five weeks. She described the stress of last-minute cancellations and the impact on children missing breakfast, social time, and educational computer time.
• Kate Wright (Hyde Park, parent of a son with an IEP) testified that her son's door-to-door transportation has been unsafe for years, with physical harm, verbal targeting, and belongings stolen. She stated that monitors were not trained or held accountable, and she eventually pulled him off the bus.
• Eugenia Rojas (Roslindale, parent and transportation advocate) called for systematic feedback metrics to capture family experience, noting that her family plans carpool arrangements on Sundays due to unreliable buses. She reported that this morning the bus was 40-44 minutes late.
• Cheryl Buckman (South Boston, parent of a seventh grader at Root Batson Academy) described the failures as a "systemic failure," forcing her to pay for Lifts and ride-shares. Her son's bus was involved in two minor accidents this year. She called for a full independent audit, real-time communication protocols, and a reimbursement fund.
• Mildred Lewis (mother of two, including a deaf/hard-of-hearing child at Horace Mann) shared that her child's bus often has no notification of delay, and that equipment (hearing aids) has been lost due to monitor negligence. The ripple effect impacts her employment and health.
• Danielle Drinkman (parent) stated that since the March 24 meeting, her daughter's bus has been canceled or >40 minutes late 43% of the time. She noted safety concerns: once her daughter's bus was late but no absentee call was made, leaving her unaccounted for. She called for transparency and fixing specific routes rather than system-wide averages.
• Marie Francis Rivera (BPS parent and independent consultant) testified that this year has been the worst, with the bus 45 minutes late this morning. She described families building their own backup transportation systems via WhatsApp groups.
• Jennifer Ward (parent, Joseph Lee School SPED PAC representative) stated that the school is missing DESE attendance benchmarks and that transportation is a contributor. She called for real solutions to Transdev's failures, such as taxi vouchers or Uber credits.
• Written testimony was read into the record from several other parents, including accounts of a bus not arriving until 6 p.m. for a 3:30 p.m. dismissal at Fenway High School, and a student waiting alone for 3.5 hours.

Discussion Items

• Dan Rosengard (Executive Director, BPS Transportation) presented data: approximately 625 buses transport 19,000 students daily. On-time performance (OTP) in March averaged 93% morning and 88% afternoon, historically high but still meaning thousands of students are late daily. Uncovered trips (no driver or vehicle) increased from 0.2% to 0.9% of scheduled trips this year, with a sharp rise in December. He stated that the district has taken steps including route consolidation, driver training, and holding vendor Transdev accountable by informing them in late February that liquidated damages ($500 per uncovered trip or >1 hour late) would be assessed starting in March.
• Jackie Hayes (Deputy Director, BPS Transportation) discussed driver absenteeism, noting that many reasons are legitimate (e.g., PTO, training, medical leave). She explained that when a driver is out, routes often go unbid in the standby process, disproportionately affecting certain schools. She also noted that the collective bargaining agreement limits how routes can be reassigned.
• Councilors raised concerns about specific schools: Edison (Councillor Braden) had 27 uncovered incidents in 61 school days, with a 3.5% uncovered rate (double the district average) and one bus averaging 36.6 minutes late with a max delay of 183 minutes. Hernandez (Councillor Weber) and Fenway High also had repeated issues.
• Councillor Flynn asked about fines and insurance costs. Rosengard stated the district had not previously assessed liquidated damages but will now do so. He also provided the FY26 auto liability insurance premium as $3.3 million (up from an unspecified previous amount).
• Councillor Culpepper raised concerns about electric buses running out of charge, citing complaints from drivers. Rosengard responded that no bus is assigned to a route it cannot complete, and that drivers must check fuel before departure. He acknowledged that some older electric buses have limited range (~50 miles in practice), but routes are designed accordingly.
• Councillor Mejia pressed for accountability, noting that the district had always had the ability to fine Transdev but had not done so until now. She also asked about undocumented families' access to reimbursement, and Rosengard confirmed a mechanism exists.

Key Outcomes

• The hearing was kept in committee (Docket 0374), and a second hearing will be held before the end of the school year to track progress.
• The administration committed to providing additional data requested by councilors, including historical insurance costs, detailed audits, and route-specific data.
• BPS will begin assessing liquidated damages of $500 per uncovered or >1-hour-late trip starting March 2026, against Transdev's monthly management fee.
• The council emphasized the need for a family experience metric, better communication protocols, and a system for compensating families impacted by transportation failures.
• The administration will continue to work with Transdev to reduce uncovered trips and improve on-time performance, with a goal of reaching zero uncovered trips.

Follow-Up Items

• Councilor Flynn requested copies of all transportation audits from the last five years.
• Councilor Flynn requested the prior insurance premium amount before the FY26 increase.
• Councilor Mejia requested a second hearing to assess progress and hold the administration accountable.