BOSTON (WHDH) - Families of Boston Public Schools students are voicing their frustrations as a school bus driver shortage leads to pick-up delays.
Terry Delehanty says she takes her two young grandchildren to the bus stop every morning in South Boston but that sometimes the bus is late or doesn’t show up at all.
“If there’s no bus in the morning, these kids don’t go to school,” she said. “If there’s no bus in the afternoon, you have to walk over a mile and a half to pick them up.”
Erin Conners says she is having the same issue.
She said that her kids have missed classes at least three times this school year because of the bus issue and that her children have spent a lot of extra time waiting in the cold.
“We have a lot of meltdowns because she likes going to school,” Conners said of her daughter.
Delehanty added “It makes an impact on their education. That’s how I look at it. These kids need their education, not to sit around waiting for the bus.”
A spokesperson for Boston Public Schools says the district is dealing with daily driver shortages and that up to one percent of their routes do not have drivers.
The spokesperson continued that they notify parents and try to fix the issue immediately and have a backup bus ready to respond just in case.
The district added that they plan to reach out to impacted families to try and give them support on these issues.
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