Bend mom is fed up with late school bus

A Bend mom is upset that her son’s school bus is often late, sometimes getting him to school after classes start.

Chrystal Reece said Friday her son’s bus has been late at least once a week since the beginning of the school year. The first year her son attended Silver Rail Elementary, she said, there was never an issue with the bus being late, but not long into this year, she started to see a pattern.

With an average of 13 kids at her son’s stop – including some that she said depend on the school for free breakfast – she decided to do something about it. After several phone calls to the school and transportation officials, she finally got in contact with someone.

“I talked to Kim, the supervisor at the transportation center, and she said that she would try to address this, so it would be taken care of within a couple days,” Reece recalled.

Reece said she’s been in contact with the transportation administration a couple of times since the beginning of the year, but so far, nothing has changed.

On Friday, Kim Crabtree, the director of transportation for Bend-La Pine Schools, said there are many reasons why a bus can be late. A driver could get stuck in traffic, caught behind an accident, or there could be a substitute driver who does not know the route as well.

Crabtree said there are measures the district can take when a parent calls to say their child’s bus is frequently late.

“We have a GPS system on every bus, and we can take a look and look back really over the entire school year and see how many minutes it’s been late,” Crabtree said. “As long as kids are getting to school in time to have breakfast, if they’re wanting breakfast, and getting into the classroom by the time the bell rings, then we’re OK.”

She also said they try to be within five minutes of the bus stop time. When the district knows a bus will be late, they notify the school, and ask them to hold back breakfast for the kids. Crabtree said getting the kids to school safely is the priority over being on time.

If you want to know when your child’s school bus will arrive, there’s an app for that.

The My Bus Stop app comes with an optional free card for students and tells parents exactly where their child is on the bus route. Students can put their cards in their backpacks, and when the cards are scanned on the bus, they send data to the parent’s or guardian’s app to let them know when their child boards or gets off the bus.

Crabtree said the app is also beneficial before the child even heads to the bus stop.

“If parents download our parent app, they catch the bus and see how late it’s going to be and what time it’s going to arrive at their stop,” she said. “We can also send out a push notification on that application saying, ‘Due to traffic or due to ice and weather we’re running 10 minutes behind today,’ or whatever that is, to help notify parents. Or they are welcome to call our office.”

If you want to sign your child up before the winter weather sets in, forms are located at the school. The application is accessible from a smart phone, any mobile device or computer.