Parents press East Ramapo over hour‑long afternoon bus rides; district says real‑time tracking "was never turned on" and aims for GPS by Sept. 1, 2026

A parent during public comment urged the East Ramapo board to address lengthy afternoon bus rides, saying her child's school day ends at 5:30 p.m. but students are not dropped off until about 6:30 p.m. and that some buses lack seats.

"An hour or more on the bus ride every day is not reasonable," the parent said, and asked the district to add buses or revise routing for overlapping areas around nonpublic stops (she named Zegel HaTorah).

Eric, a district staff member, told the board the district's current transportation app did not provide real‑time tracking because "that function in the app was never turned on." He said the district's new transportation software requires a specific GPS system and that the district specified GPS capability in recent bids; routed fleet vendors that use the district's routing software are expected to have compatible GPS by Sept. 1, 2026. Eric added that some third‑party vendors (who do not use the district software) would not be covered by the district's system unless they integrate with it.

The board and staff discussed interim options such as a phone‑based alert system that reports recent stop locations (not true real‑time tracking) and the possibility of a third‑party service for broader coverage, with the district saying it will "look into" options but not promising an immediate fix.

What to watch: the district plans to post participating nonpublic schools and affidavit forms on the website and to appoint consultants for transportation improvements; parents asked for follow up on whether a backup or universal tracking option could be used while the GPS rollout proceeds.