NYC avoids school bus shutdown with last-minute deal to keep service running

Last-Minute Deal Saves NYC School Bus Service as Chaos Looms Over 150,000 Students

In a dramatic turn of events, New York City officials have reached a last-minute agreement with major yellow bus providers to keep school bus service running next week, averting potential chaos for the city's most vulnerable students. The deal comes just one day before contracts were set to expire for multiple large bus companies, sparking widespread panic among parents whose children rely on buses to get to school.

The crisis centered around decades-old contracts that many parents say perpetuate a dysfunctional system plagued by inconsistent service, no-show buses, and delays. Parents have long complained about these issues, with some calling for city officials to reject long-term contract extensions so that they could negotiate new terms with better service.

On Thursday night, the largest companies - including Logan Bus Co. Inc., Pioneer Transportation, Total Transportation Corp., and Consolidated Bus Transit - remained holdouts until just hours before the deadline, prompting concerns among parents and advocates about how students with complex disabilities would get to school.

However, in a surprise move, city officials announced that the group of lawyers negotiating for some of the largest bus companies had reached a temporary extension to maintain service. The deal will keep buses running on Monday, but it does not address the underlying issues driving the dispute. Instead, officials say they will continue to work towards new and improved contracts with stronger accountability measures.

"This is about the children and our employees," said Rich Bamberger, a spokesperson for the lawyers negotiating for some of the largest bus companies. "Buses will be running Monday."

The temporary deal has been welcomed by parents, including those whose children have disabilities or live in shelters, who were facing dire consequences if service was disrupted. However, advocates say that this agreement is only a short-term solution and that real change can only come with stronger contracts.

"It's a victory for the children of New York City," said Gregory Faulkner, chair of the Panel for Educational Policy. "Today’s decision is a first step towards fixing the problems with our school bus system."

The city had announced contingency plans, including OMNY cards and rideshare, but these measures were deemed insufficient by some parents who say they would not be enough to get students with complex disabilities to school.

Mayor Adams has remained committed to ensuring that public school students can safely get to and from schools, and he welcomed the temporary deal. However, critics argue that this agreement does not address the root causes of the problem and that real change is needed to improve the service.

I'm so relieved that the NYC school bus crisis has been averted for now . I mean, can you imagine how chaotic things would have gotten if buses just stopped running on Monday? The thought alone gives me anxiety . But seriously, it's like the city was putting its finger in the dike just when the system was about to implode .

The thing is, we all know that this is just a stopgap measure and not a real solution to the underlying issues . I mean, come on, how many times can we keep kicking the can down the road before we really address these problems? It's like the city is putting its foot down (pun intended) but only for show .

I think it's great that Mayor Adams has remained committed to finding a better solution, though . And I've got to give props to those parents who were fighting for their kids' rights - they're not going to let this issue slide anytime soon .

Can't believe they had to do a last-minute deal on these bus contracts Like, what's wrong with negotiating in time? This whole thing just reeks of scrambling at the last minute It's about the kids and employees, yeah right... that's just a PR spin The fact remains, the system is still broken and this deal just kicks the can down the road We need real change, not just temporary fixes

I'm so relieved they got this sorted out ! I mean, can you even imagine how stressful it must be for parents whose kids rely on buses every day? It's not just about the buses themselves, it's about the kids who have disabilities or live in shelters and need that extra support. The fact that there are holdouts is crazy - what's going through their heads?

I think this temporary deal might seem like a good thing, but I'm sure some people will say it's only a Band-Aid on a much bigger wound. Like, how can you just fix the symptoms without addressing the root problems? It feels like they're kicking the can down the road a bit.

But hey, at least the kids are safe for now . And I'm glad Mayor Adams is committed to getting this right eventually. We need better bus services in NYC - it's time to make some real changes!

man I'm still shocked they were able to pull this off at the last min . it's crazy how the whole thing went down - i mean, who expects a deal like this to happen just hours before everything was gonna come crashing down? anyway, i think its great that parents and advocates are seeing some progress, but let's be real, this is just a bandaid solution . we need actual change here, not just temporary fixes. how can they guarantee better service with these new contracts? there's gotta be more to it than just waving a magic wand . and what about the ones who can't rely on buses because of complex disabilities? did anyone really think that OMNY cards or rideshare would cut it for those folks?

The situation with NYC's school bus service has been super stressful for so many families, especially those with kids who rely on buses to get to school. It's crazy that it had to come down to the wire, but I'm glad they were able to reach a deal at the last minute to keep things running for now. I feel for anyone whose child relies on buses and would have been super worried if service got disrupted. The deal is definitely a step in the right direction, even if it's just temporary, but we need stronger contracts that address the underlying issues or else we'll still be dealing with these problems .

omg i just had the craziest dream about being on a bus so like what's going on with NYC school buses? i feel bad for those kids who rely on them to get to school isn't it wild that the big companies were holding out till the last minute? anyway, i heard it's not just one company tho? like there are like 4 huge ones involved can someone explain what the deal is and how it works? also, what happens if they don't get new contracts soon? do parents have to start busing their kids themselves?

just heard about the last min deal to save NYC's school bus service and i gotta say its a huge relief for parents who were panicking 150k students were counting on buses to get to school and now they can breathe a sigh of relief it was getting really ugly with some companies being total holdouts but the city stepped in and negotiated a temp deal that keeps buses running, even if its just until new contracts are worked out

its still a short term solution tho and we gotta keep pushing for real change to fix the problems with our school bus system but hey at least the kids are gonna get to school on time and that's what matters most

omg just heard about the last-minute deal saving NYC school bus service! it's a huge relief for parents whose kids rely on buses to get to school, especially those with complex disabilities who would've been super affected by the chaos . i'm so glad that city officials were able to negotiate a temporary extension to keep buses running, but i gotta wonder... is this just a Band-Aid solution? shouldn't they be looking at ways to improve the service in the long run?

OMG just read about the NYC school bus crisis and I'm so relieved they were able to come up with a last-minute deal to save the service! I mean, can you even imagine all those kids who rely on buses to get to school facing chaos? It's crazy that it had to come down to the wire like that. The fact that city officials are saying they'll keep working towards new and improved contracts is a good start, but let's be real, we need REAL change here not just some temporary fix. I'm all about seeing those contract extensions reworked with better accountability measures so our kids don't have to suffer because of it. It's about time the city prioritizes our schools' transportation needs

omg, what a relief! I was so worried about those 150k students who rely on buses, esp the ones with disabilities it's crazy how things came down to the wire, but i guess that last-minute deal did save the day... for now we need some real changes tho, not just temporary fixes like this one stronger accountability measures and better contracts would be a major step forward

idk why they cant just negotiate a new contract already its like every 5 mins something goes wrong with the buses lol the fact that they had to do this last min is wild, what's next gonna be like we have to pay more for pizza? anyway i guess its good that the kids are still getting on the buses but like seriously how many times can a bus company just not show up?

OMG, I'M SO RELIEVED THAT THE SCHOOL BUS SERVICE IS STILL GOING TO BE RUNNING FOR THESE 150K STUDENTS!!! I MEAN, WHO WANTS TO DEAL WITH CHAOS LIKE THAT?! IT'S BEEN A HUGE DEAL FROM THE START, AND I KNOW HOW HARD PARENTS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR BETTER SERVICES. NOW WE GET TO SEE SOME ACTION FROM CITY OFFICIALS! RICH BAMBERGER IS TOTALLY RIGHT - THIS IS ABOUT THE KIDS AND OUR EMPLOYEES, NOT JUST SOME BUNCH OF BUS COMPANIES TRYING TO GET OUT OF DEALING WITH THEIR ISSUES

man I remember when school buses were on time and reliable back in my day... I'm glad they've reached a last-minute deal to keep services running, especially for those kids with disabilities who really need it. But let's be real, this is just a short-term fix . We need some real changes here, like better accountability measures and more investment in the system . It's not just about getting buses on the road, it's about making sure our kids get to school safely and without hassle . I'm glad Mayor Adams is committed to this, but we need more than just a temporary band-aid to fix this problem .

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this last-minute deal ... 150k students were gonna be affected if buses didn't show up on Monday . It's about time something was done, but I'm not buying that this is a long-term solution . Just patching things over without addressing the real issues? What about accountability measures? Where are those? And what about the parents who can't just use OMNY cards or rideshare with their kids having disabilities ? That's not gonna cut it for most families. I need to see some concrete changes, like new contracts that actually prioritize student needs . Otherwise, this feels like business as usual . Sources, anyone?

I was literally checking my phone last night and saw this headline, I'm glad they were able to come up with a deal, but like 4 days too late . Can't believe these companies just took their sweet time trying to hold out for better deals... it's just not right that parents are going through all this stress for the sake of some profit margins . And what really gets me is that they didn't even address the root issues, like why can't they just negotiate new contracts with better service? It feels like a Band-Aid solution at best . Anyway, glad the deal is done and everyone's safe... but let's get to work on fixing this whole system so it doesn't happen again

man I'm so relieved that the NYC school bus service is gonna be saved but like let's be real it's only a short-term fix . parents were really scared about how their kids with disabilities would get to school if the buses weren't running and now they're just being told that it'll be okay on Monday but what about Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday? we need better contracts with accountability measures not just some temporary extension . it's great that mayor Adams is committed to making sure students can safely get to and from schools but we need real change here, not just bandaids .