New Britain superintendent warns of contract action over First Student bus delays

Superintendent told the New Britain Board of Education on Sept. 2 that the district is preparing to take formal contractual steps after repeated morning and afternoon delays by its busing provider, First Student. "In no way is our busing provider's current performance acceptable to me," the superintendent said, and added that the district intends to use available financial remedies and, if necessary, reassign routes to other providers.

The superintendent said the district is in year 3 of a five-year contract for general education routes and year 1 of a three-year contract for special-education transportation. He and other staff described most problems as concentrated in special-education routes, where vehicles often carry only a handful of students but must be reliably on time. "The majority of our…