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Parents and bus drivers tell Davis board rebid and new routing left students late, raised safety concerns
Summary
Multiple bus drivers and parents told the Davis School Board that a recent contract rebid and new routing system left buses late, left children waiting at stops, and produced at least one reported missing‑child incident. Drivers said schedules and radios provided insufficient information and that third‑party drivers lacked district vetting.
Parents and district bus drivers told the Davis School Board that a recent rebid of transportation contracts and a new routing system caused widespread delays, late school arrivals and safety problems. Multiple drivers said new or subcontracted drivers lacked adequate training, route information and direct communication, and parents described children arriving at school and home 30 to 60 minutes late.
Cindy Starkey, identifying herself as representing parents in her neighborhood, said her bus route lacked a permanent driver and that other buses double‑backed to pick up students 20 to 30 minutes late daily, leaving some children roughly 40 minutes late to class. "On day 1, my son was an hour late coming home with no communication," Starkey said, and she described calling the transportation office without receiving a timely response.
Several bus drivers described being reassigned after the rebid and being placed on special‑education runs or routes they had not bid for. Jalyn Edwards, a driver, said she was assigned a special‑education route without an assistant and without prior information about students’ needs. Drivers reported routes assigned at the last minute, missing or incorrect paperwork, no GPS on some subcontracted buses and problems contacting the routing office by phone or radio.
Barclay Biesinger and other drivers said they routinely saw children left at stops for up to an hour and reported students arriving home as late as 5:30 or 6:30 p.m. Drivers asked the board to prioritize safety and restore more stable routes and communication methods. "It's putting new hearts upon the parents," Biesinger said; "In the mornings, you're driving around. You're seeing kids being left at bus stops for upwards of an hour."
Board members acknowledged the comments and said they would follow up with transportation staff. No formal motion or vote regarding the transportation contracts occurred during the meeting; board members said staff would report back and that administrators would investigate the safety and communication concerns raised during public comment.
Why it matters: The district operates thousands of bus routes daily. Rebid decisions and subcontracting can affect student safety and attendance and raise questions about contractor vetting, GPS and parent communication practices.
