Bus Company Taking Us for a Ride

This morning I took about 30 seconds to comfort my crying daughter before walking her to her bus.  The bus driver scolded me and argued with me, claiming I was making her late.  This is ironic considering the terrible service on my particular route.  We have frequent delays.  We have had multiple inexperienced subs.  Several times bus drivers have destroyed mailboxes while maneuvering their routes.  You would think this lack of quality would lead to some humility, but it does not.  

Compounding this quality problem is the fact that no transportation employees answer their phones during the actual bus drive times.  On certain days residents may get an automated call about a delay for a known issue, but if a bus does not arrive on time there is usually no way to know how long the delay will be, leaving parents to wonder whether to call in late to work, drive a student to the school on their own, or just wait a few minutes longer for the bus to arrive.  This chaos leaves the taxpayers at the mercy of a few district and METS employees, and it is not the responsible way to handle the situation.   This is the type of performance that should lead to an examination of the service record of METS, and the school district decision making process.  I know that's what I will be pushing for.