Brooklyn, NY –Today, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso issued the following statement in reaction to the NYC Panel for Educational Policy (PEP)’s vote to extend school bus contracts for three years:
“For 46 years, the City of New York has rubber stamped school bus contracts without any legitimate oversight or accountability over a system that continually fails our students. This negligence has produced a system that is rife with abuse, plagued by delays, and dangerous for students, especially those with special needs.
It is my expectation that today marks the beginning of the end to this broken system. While I’m glad the NYC Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) refused to further legitimize these bus operators with a five-year contract, it’s deeply disappointing that students and families will be forced to suffer through three more years of terrible service. A three-year extension is nothing more than an admission of defeat. If we were serious about getting this done and doing it right, we wouldn’t need three years – and it’s the 150,000 kids who take the bus every day that will bear the brunt of our delays.
Starting today, the clock is ticking for City and State leaders to finally deliver a modern, dignified school bus system. That means the Governor and State legislature must pass and sign into law S.1018/A.8440 to protect school bus workers’ wages and benefits, and our City must launch a competitive RFP for our bus contracts that prioritizes transparency, accountability, and service that is safe, reliable, and attentive to the needs of our youngest and most vulnerable New Yorkers. We cannot turn a blind eye to this broken system any longer.”
