Parents complain about long school bus service in NYC

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A number of parents in New York City are upset by what they claim are the ongoing school bus horror stories their children have endured since the start of the school year.

And now they are demanding the city do something about it.

Parents whose children ride buses to school had a long list of complaints; especially parents who have children with disabilities.

"My son is 3 years old, he attends Cusack, and he was on a bus on September 12th for 4 and a half hours," said Jazmine Tavarez.

Each school year brings needed adjustments for school bus schedules, but some parents say this year has been a disaster.

"My son, right now this year, is in school an hour to an hour and a half late every single day," said Carin Vanderdonk.

Beth Torin says school bus lateness costs valuable instruction for her daughter.

"So she's missing her first class and she has a learning disability, so she needs to be there so she can learn," she said.

Parents are also concerned about staffing and training of school bus personnel, and about safety issues, especially for wheelchair bound kids.

Johnnie Stevens and his son, Kwami confirm bus lateness is nothing new.

"Sometimes I get a headache because I was on the bus for so long," he said.

Queens city council member Elizabeth Crowley says the families are being shortchanged.

"It's because the DOE wants to save money and they don't provide enough school buses to the children of the city of New York," she said.

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