Greenwich school bus parking fiasco goes national
CBS News NY has picked up on local reporting regarding the deteriorating parking issues with Greenwich school buses (video here). What was intended as a temporary fix has devolved into a multi-month quagmire. The buses are currently parked on muddy fields at Western Middle School until a permanent location can be found.
The bus drivers are complaining about a lack of basic infrastructure. There are no break rooms, no proper bathrooms, and no field lighting. Beyond the lack of amenities, the environment is becoming a logistical nightmare. On December 15 and 16, the school district was forced to call a delay specifically because the bus parking lot was too hazardous. Tensions peaked when a driver was injured after slipping in the muck, leading the union to threaten a walkout.
Greenwich Public Schools fell into this trap after they parted ways with their long-time provider, First Student, which maintained a local home base for its fleet. The district signed a new contract with Dattco that did not include a local depot, shifting the responsibility for finding a suitable lot onto the district. After scouring 40 potential sites — including failed attempts to secure the shuttered Stop & Shop and the Tesla lots in Stamford — no solution is in sight.
Between the Lines: In a rush to renegotiate the bus contract, Greenwich Public Schools ended up throwing both students and drivers under the bus and into the mud, so to speak. We can do better.