Wayne-Westland schools face bus line cancellations and frustrated parents

WAYNE, Mich. (WXYZ) — A shortage of school bus drivers that has led to bus route cancellations in districts across the state is causing frustration in the Wayne-Westland School District. Last week, 7 News Detroit raised the voices of concerned Livonia Public Schools parents on the exact same issue.

Livonia school bus driver shortage and canceled routes frustrate parents

Carrie Brincat, whose son attends Steven Middle School in Wayne, said it happened again today.

“I don’t understand how we are still dealing with this all the time. It’s a weekly basis. There hasn’t been a single week this year that my son hasn’t had at least one day canceled.” she explained.

Brincat said she often learns of the cancellation on short notice.

“An hour and a half. My son usually gets on the bus at 7:20 a.m., and we usually get a phone call or text at 5:45 a.m. when the bus is canceled,” she said. .

“I think there was one day where they let us know the day before, but other than that, it’s literally in the morning,” Brincat added.

“We’ve had instances where we kept our kids home when buses were canceled because it just didn’t work with our schedules,” she said.

Cherie Neal, who now has to pick up her son, said she can empathize after her experience last year.

“You need to go get your kids. You gotta do what you gotta do. Children come first. So it’s an inconvenience for parents who have to go to work and those kinds of things, make other arrangements. » she said.

For Shayna Benjamin and her family, she said the cancellations go against the reason she enrolled her children at Wayne-Westland.

“Right now, I’m not working. Luckily, I can now take my kids to and from school. But the problem is, we moved to the Westland school district so they can take the bus. For that not to be the case it’s complicated for the parents, for us to get them to and from school, so it’s frustrating. Benjamin explained.

Brincat said: “I think at this point there should be better recruiting or something. »

The district’s transportation director sent a letter to parents explaining that there is a shortage of bus drivers and that recruiting efforts are underway.

7 News Detroit contacted the district who declined an on-camera interview but sent the following statement:

We understand that recent cancellations of some bus routes have been a challenge for many families, and we apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. While we are committed to providing reliable transportation to our students, ongoing staffing shortages have made it necessary to cancel some routes.

This problem is not unique to our district, as many other districts around us are also facing similar staff shortages. Currently, we operate approximately 50 routes per day and, although we continue to serve the majority of our students, there are days when certain routes must be canceled.

We are currently accepting applications for bus drivers. If interested, please visit our website, https://www.wwcsd.net/departments/human-resources/employment/ (wwcsd.net) for more information.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we navigate these challenges.

The district said the transportation director makes the decision that will have the least impact, and they also initiated a bus route contingency plan that allows another bus to pick up a student when possible.

Where your voice counts

Contact our editorial staff

Do you have a tip, an article idea or a comment on our coverage? Send us a message. Don’t forget to let us know if you would be willing to talk about the topic on camera.