Keeping track of where school children are on school buses just got easier thanks to the city council, but keeping track of who actually was behind the legislation to make it happen is a lost cause.
City Council Members Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island, Bensonhurst), Chaim Deutsch (Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach) and Justin Brannan (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights) all issued press releases today touting their roles in the city council passing Intro 1099 requiring that all school buses with Department of Education (DOE) contracts be outfitted with two-way communication and a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.
To Treyger, chair of the Council’s Education Committee, the measure was one of a package of eight bills dubbed the Student transportation Oversight Package (STOP).
It includes Int. 1173, which requires the Department of Education (DOE) to report twice a year on the department’s school bus services, including the vendors providing school bus transportation to students, the number of vehicles and employees used by such vendors, the number of bus routes and transportation sites in use, the number of students using school bus transportation (including the type of students), the number of students in foster care who applied for transportation service, the school bus transportation services provided to prekindergarten students, and the categories of students who are eligible for DOE transportation services.
The legislation would also require DOE to twice a year share reports on school bus delays with the Council and post on the department’s website the number of school bus delays and no-shows per vendor.
“I’m so proud that the City Council voted to pass my legislation and the entire STOP package, the most comprehensive oversight and reform we’ve ever seen of our student transit system,” said Treyger. “This legislation is about dragging a $1.2 billion school bus and transport industry into the 21st century and building the accountability and transparency necessary to ensure that our city’s children and families are receiving the safe, efficient, and humane school transportation services they deserve.”
But Treyger was also quick to call himself the prime co-sponsor on Council Member Ben Kallos’ (D-Manhattan) legislation to put GPS devices on all school buses.
“Parents have enough to worry about. School bus rides to and from school should not be another cause for concern. I’m proud to join Council Members Kallos and Deutsch in sponsoring this legislation that will give parents peace of mind when it comes to their child’s daily commute,” he said.
But Deutsch traced the roots of the bill to the predecessor in his council seat, former City Council Member Mike Nelson, who introduced the measure multiple times during his last several council sessions with the help from Deutsch, who was a staff member for Nelson at the time.
“As a father of five children, I’ve felt that fear of not knowing where my child is. Putting your precious child onto a school bus should not have to be a scary experience. The bottom line is, parents deserve to know where their children are. In cold or inclement weather, parents should not be left standing at a bus stop for absurd lengths of time, when there is a simple way to avoid that inconvenience,” said Deutsch.
“Technology has come so far in the last 10 years, where we are now able to install GPS on school buses inexpensively. This bill will ensure that parents get their power back. I’m proud to have worked on this for many years with my predecessor Councilmember Michael Nelson, and I’m grateful to my friend and colleague Councilmember Ben Kallos for leading the charge to get this done. While previous councils have put politics before practicality, kudos to Speaker Corey Johnson for putting New York City children first,” he added.
Brannan, another co-sponsor of the bill, said in his release that the legislation came about after parents and schools made a rash of complaints about DOE-contracted buses running hours late or failing to show up to their routes at all, coinciding with the beginning of the 2018-19 school year this past fall.
“Education should always be a major priority in our city,” said Brannan. “But we could have the best schools, the best teachers, the best materials—none of it matters if the school bus doesn’t show up. This bill is just a starting point. We pay these bus companies to get our kids to school and back home, safe and on time. We’re also bringing peace of mind for parents, who will be able to see exactly where there kids are during their commute. GPS data will provide an extra level of transparency and peace of mind knowing exactly their child’s whereabouts.”
The bill will become law pending Mayor de Blasio’s signature and take effect for the start of the 2019-2020 school year.
