Westchester County Bus Driver Fired After Getting Lost On His Way To School
HARRISON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Some students in Westchester County were scared and confused when their bus driver went the wrong way to school.
"I was telling him 'you're supposed to make this turn and go this way,' but he wouldn't even listen to us," 10-year-old Bella Rodriguez told CBS2's Valerie Castro.
She texted her mother, Sharon, saying the bus was lost. Sharon replied "What are you talking about?" Bella said "We don't know where we are. Can you pick me up to go home?"
Maria Deraffele's daughter was also on the bus.
"She texted me at 8:11 this morning," Deraffele said. "This shouldn't be happening, it just wasn't good."
The girls were picked up in New Rochelle before 8 a.m. Their school is in Harrison, but two hours later Sharon and another parent located the bus in Yonkers after Sharon tracked her daughter's cellphone.
"I passed the bus three or four times on the Bronx River Parkway. They'd be going in one direction, then they'd turn around," she said.
Eventually, a supervisor got a hold of the driver and he pulled over.
Sharon described the moment when Bella got off the bus, choking back tears, saying "relief, relief that they were OK."
CBS2 tried to talk to the bus company, First Mile Square Transportation, but was told "unfortunately, I can't really talk about any of it."
Parents said they also want answers.
"I feel like it was a lack of training for him, and he should have known to pull over and ask for help," Sharon said.
A spokesperson for the school district said the bus company fired the driver for not following protocol after he got lost. A new driver will be paired up with a more experienced driver until they are familiar with the route.
The mothers CBS2 spoke with said their children will not be taking the bus to school Thursday.