Another failing grade for the St. Mary's Co. School bus transportation

[Dymphna]

yes but they do what is on the paper. if certain routes are not on it then its the dept. of transportations fault

Of course the really good and experienced drivers will get it right anyway. Two years ago, my brand-new neighborhood wasn't on the route. It wasn't in the paper. It looked as if I'd have to take my then 4-yo a quarter mile to the nearest mentions location. I called the transportation department and they told me that my street was still owned by the developer, not the county and they didn't do private streets. I told them they were wrong and if they didn't come up my street, my kid wasn't riding a bus at all. They said they'd check on it and get back to me. They never did.

The day before school started, I got a call from the bus driver. She introduced herself and asked which house was mine. She'd driven her route and wanted to verify which stop was ours and to make sure that even though she expected to be late the first day, to wait on her because it was the best way for her to get the route down.

Last year, again my neighborhood wasn't listed in the paper. Again, it looked on paper as if the stop would be a quarter mile away. This year they got it right in the paper.

 

[sleuth]

Now if he's ignoring your PMs what makes you think he wants to talk to you here

 

[mondoman]

Well,the 5 kids i trucked off to school this morning arrived home an hour late on the right bus.The bus driver stated that our road wasn't on her route paper(though it was listed on the bus routes in the paper).Though she didn't say this to me,she told the kids on the bus that "she wasn't going to come down this road and make all these stops".A total of 4 stops and a turnaround.I think this bus driver may want to reconsider whether driving a school bus is really what she wants to do.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

A friend of mine called transportation last week to have her child reg for the bus, she then told Transportation the road they lived on, and she was told they do not keep lists of where children are picked up and dropped off,That the child was to flag the bus down when he saw a bus coming. Was also told the Bus rte started at 7 am and that was the best they could tell her.

My cousin had to do the same last year. He lives on a road where the houses are few and far between and had to flag down the school bus driver 2 - 3 times before h/she eventually stopped. Oops...

 

[Dymphna]

Well, my kid got home 35 minutes late. Which isn't bad considering when last he saw his driver she was still sitting at the school with a broken down bus.

The bus broke down and they moved all the kids to another bus. The other bus is actually owned by a different person and it wasn't their responsibility to make their bus available, so kudos to them for doing it anyway.

The driver who actually drove the kids home today is the one who drives the same route for the kindergarten kids, so she knew the route and some of the kids, so it was a good move for the children that she filled in.

 

[lil_daisy]

D-
glad something GOOD came of today's events. I was behind a bus that did turn into your development this AM, and thought of your guy. I was behind it taking my 4 YO and baby. Nice to know there are good samaritans for our children around here. For the fill in driver- send a note of appreciation to Tom Kracinovich (Sp?) or Reed Walker. Walker received a round of kudos for solving a nasty, cig smokin', cross, contracted bus driver issue I had a year ago. That wrench got replaced by an awesome driver last year! My son also has the great fortune of having the same driver for the homebound route. YAY!

 

[huntr1]

Yay L.D.! Glad to hear you had atleast a little good news today. Any word on his A.M. bus?

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Well, my kid got home 35 minutes late.

Wow! How freaked were you? Especially on the first day?

 

[lil_daisy]

Am bus driver is SUPPOsED to be here around 7L30, a classmate of his lives in on the other side of GB Rd, and he's getting picked up at 7:10 - school doesn't start till 9 - his parents are upset, can't say i'm thrilled either. holding out hope for the kinks to be worked out.
Hunter1- you know how speedy #1 moves, molasses is faster

Here's hoping for a good tomorrow

 

[BuddyLee]

Hey BL... I see you haven't read one of my PMs from a few days ago... what gives?

I thought I replied to it. :shrug:

Anyway, I vote yes.

 

[Dymphna]

Wow! How freaked were you? Especially on the first day?

Not too freaked. They are always late on the first day. I think it was last year that the bus was after 5:00 on the first day, but Kindergarten doesn't ride the bus the first day, so it didn't affect us.

 

[Voter2002]

I'll be calling transportation today. Kids were stacked up like cord wood on my daughter's bus yesterday....3 or 4 to a seat, standing up, sitting on the floor....WAY over capacity. I tried to warn them early this year that 1 bus wouldn't be enough for this route...I got the usual "we know what we're doing..let us do our job..blah, blah, blah.." response. Bunch of losers sucking up my county tax dollars and NOT doing their job

 

[geminigrl]

I'll be calling transportation today. Kids were stacked up like cord wood on my daughter's bus yesterday....3 or 4 to a seat, standing up, sitting on the floor....WAY over capacity. I tried to warn them early this year that 1 bus wouldn't be enough for this route...I got the usual "we know what we're doing..let us do our job..blah, blah, blah.." response. Bunch of losers sucking up my county tax dollars and NOT doing their job

Was this bus 516? Bus 516 had like 72 kids on it,

 

[Voter2002]

639, Leonardtown HS

 

[geminigrl]

639, Leonardtown HS

I hope you called transportation and got it straightened out. Good luck!!

 

[Elle]

After hearing your stories I'm thinking my lucky stars. Ty's bus driver has had the same route for like 10 years and is great. Always on time and very friendly. And gosh, I can't imagine catching the bus 2 hours before school starts, Ty gets on like 20 minutes before school.

 

[geminigrl]

After hearing your stories I'm thinking my lucky stars. Ty's bus driver has had the same route for like 10 years and is great. Always on time and very friendly. And gosh, I can't imagine catching the bus 2 hours before school starts, Ty gets on like 20 minutes before school.

I've been lucky also, bus has been on time so far this week, and kids get on bus about 8:20, so not to bad.

 

[Tonio]

Voter2002, Dr. Richardson is online today with the Post. Send her your gripes about the bus.

http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/04/sp_education_stmarys083104.html

 

[JabbaJawz]

Well rats! We waited at the daycare stop for 50 minutes this afternoon and the bus never came. Finally around 1:20 we called and they told us the busses had all arrived and her bus had forgotten to head up that street. Poor girl was so disappointed! We took her in, and she'll get to ride the bus home today. We'll just wait with her tomorrow at the bus stop for pics...a day late, but better than no pictures at all.

 

[Elle]

We'll just wait with her tomorrow at the bus stop for pics...a day late, but better than no pictures at all.

Hopefully things will go better tomorrow. Great pictures already though!