At the school bus hearing, BPS says October hit 91% on time. Flynn calls the $200 million system "broken"

The City Council's Committee on Education spent about three hours Monday afternoon on Boston Public Schools bus service. Councilors and parents described late buses, a tracking app that families say they can't rely on, unsafe stops and buses without monitors, Boston.com reported. District officials said service is improving and that the work is not finished.

More than 18,000 students ride yellow buses run by the contractor Transdev. When a bus is late, students miss class time and parents scramble to get them to school. Our Nov. 2 story was written before the hearing. This one reports what was said, based on Boston.com's coverage. The city's recording is not yet on our meeting page. We will add timestamped links once it is.

What officials said

From Boston.com's account of the hearing:

• On-time rates. The district's first-month figures showed 86% of morning buses and 83% of afternoon buses on time. Dan Rosengard, the BPS transportation director, said the morning rate rose to 91% in October. The target in the district's 2022 improvement plan is 95%. Buses met it in June, a record month, but not yet this school year.
• Uncovered trips. There have been 94 uncovered trips this school year, Rosengard said, more than 80% fewer than at the same point last year.
• Fines. BPS can fine Transdev $500 for each "blown trip," meaning one that is uncovered or more than an hour late. Fines this year total $10,500. Last school year's fines for March through June came to more than $400,000.
• Money. Transdev receives about $125 million of the district's roughly $200 million transportation budget.
• Monitors. Rosengard said every small door-to-door bus has a monitor, but not every large bus does.
• Tone. Rosengard said he and Transdev's general manager were "humbled" by the testimony. A BPS spokesperson called this fall "one of the strongest starts on the district's record."

What councilors said

• City Councilor Ed Flynn: "We're paying $200 million for a broken and failed system." He said that if it were up to him he would end the Transdev contract, and that it is "worth investigating," Boston.com reported.
• City Councilor Erin Murphy, the order's lead sponsor, called the delays an equity issue because not every family has a backup plan. Some parents testified that they had bought Apple AirTags to track their children because the district's Zūm tracking app is unreliable. Murphy called that "horrifying."
• Council President Liz Breadon said the problems cost students instructional time.

Boston.com reported no new commitments or deadlines from the district.

What our records add

This is the second bus hearing this year. The committee held an emergency hearing March 31 on an order Murphy and Flynn filed in February (docket 0374), which is still in committee. At that hearing, Rosengard said any bus that arrives after the school day starts counts as late, and that March was averaging 93% in the mornings and 88% in the afternoons (watch at 1:06:28). Breadon brought data from the Edison School in Brighton. She said its buses failed to show up 3.5% of the time, compared with 1.6% districtwide (watch at 1:42:12).

Which target counts. Councilors and the district usually cite 95%. WBUR reported Monday that Transdev's contract sets a minimum of 90% on-time morning arrivals, and that the company earned a $27,300 bonus for topping 92% last spring (WBUR). Our separate story covers WBUR's route-by-route data.

Monday's order. Murphy's order, docket 1920, has eight co-sponsors. It was referred to the Education Committee, chaired by City Councilor Julia Mejia, on Oct. 7. It is already listed for Wednesday's council meeting under "Matters Recently Heard – For Possible Action" (agenda). On recent agendas, items under that heading have usually stayed in committee.

What's next

• Wednesday, Nov. 4, noon: The full council meets.
• Monday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m.: The Education Committee holds a hearing on how BPS staff cuts affect students with disabilities (docket 1333; our preview).
• Transdev's contract runs through June 2028, WBUR reported. Any change to it would be up to BPS and the School Committee, not the council.