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Parents and drivers tell SFUSD board school-transportation problems persist
Summary
Parents and a long-time bus driver told the board about route changes, long rides, driver shortages and safety concerns; drivers asked the district to require school-bus certification rather than allow lower-safety vans.
Several members of the public used the board’s general comment period on Sept. 24 to raise ongoing concerns about student transportation. A parent described a special-needs child who has endured route changes, multiple substitute drivers and rides lasting up to two and a half hours after a route change. She said some bus drivers were disrespectful and that families received very short notice of schedule changes.
A veteran school-bus driver, Shane Hoff, told the board he has driven school buses for 23 years and urged the district to require the more rigorous certifications that certified school-bus drivers hold (school-bus certificate, passenger endorsement) rather than accept only a Class B license for contracted drivers or vans. Hoff said sections of the district’s most recent bid specifications appeared to lower safety and certification standards and warned that vans are “not as safe as school buses.”
Board members did not take immediate action during public comment but acknowledged the issue; staff follow-up on transportation contracts and bid specifications was implied during later agenda items.
