Parents Of Autistic Children Complain Of City School Bus 'Nightmare'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A company that runs school bus service for New York City's disabled students is apparently having problems just a few days into the new school year.
Some parents said their autistic children were left on buses for hours or not picked up at all.
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reports
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Consolidated Bus has admitted to routing issues.
"It took them like three hours for him to be dropped off one way," father Robert Licker told WCBS 880's Marla Diamond. "He's potty-trained, which, for an autistic kid is pretty good. What if he has an accident?"
His three-year-old son travels from their home in Greenpoint Brooklyn to a school on the Upper West Side.
Jennifer Brown said when and if her three-year-old son Hugo gets to that same school from Elmhurst Queens is a crap shoot.
"We waited and waited and waited and not a phone call from the bus company, the bus driver or the bus matron. I tried calling the bus company about 10 times this morning and it was just a busy signal," Brown told Diamond.
"It's just a nightmare. The idea of picking up children at 6:30 in the morning when school starts at 9. Special ed kids being on the bus for hours like that, to me that's nothing short of a crime," Brown said.
The Board Of Education said parents should call 311 and routes will be adjusted.
Have you had busing issues with your children so far this school year? Share your story below...
