Parents Speak Out About Persistent Boston School Bus Delays

At a Boston City Council Education Committee hearing on Tuesday, March 31, parents, city officials, and transportation leaders highlighted ongoing bus delays and inconsistent service that affect thousands of students daily.

During the hearing, parents shared frustrations about the personal impacts of these delays — ride cancellations, scrambling for backups, missed work, out-of-pocket costs, and greater effects on students with special needs.

BPS officials tout that the bus system is achieving record on-time arrival rates, but the March data paints a less flattering picture. According to Boston.com, buses have averaged about 93% on-time arrival in the morning and 88% in the afternoon in March. On-time performance at the start of the 2025-2026 school year and through the fall was the highest on record for the morning and afternoon bus runs.

“Ninety-three percent on-time in the morning means 1,330 students were late… in the afternoon… 2,280 students every single day are not getting home in time,” City Councilor Erin Murphy said at the hearing. “That's thousands of students every day — and that's the best we got?” 

According to Boston.com, BPS contracts with private bus operator Transdev, which has administered the school bus system since 2013. Under its contract, the company is supposed to meet a 95% on-time performance standard.

BPS transportation officials cite long-term investments, driver recruitment, and technologies such as GPS tracking as the foundations for progress. They acknowledge, however, ongoing challenges, such as driver shortages, absenteeism, traffic, mechanical issues, and more uncovered trips, trips without a driver or bus available at the scheduled time.

“This is not good enough,” said BPS transportation director Dan Rosengard in a statement at the hearing. “If you're a student on one of the buses that is consistently arriving late, the system is failing you.”

According to BPS, the bus system serves approximately 19,000 students across more than 200 schools. Its fleet consists of over 620 buses, and its transportation budget exceeds $200 million for the coming fiscal year.