WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Imagine waiting for your son to get home from school of the bus but he never gets dropped off.
"It just makes you frantic," Eric Krajewski said. "It's not an Amazon package I'm waiting on, it's my son."
E.J., his 5-year-old son, has had issues with bus timing since the school year started at Winchester Potters Elementary.
"It wasn't nerve-racking until last week when he wasn't dropped off at all," Krajewski said.
WATCH: 'Not okay with this': West Seneca schools working to address issues with late school buses
He tells me he normally watches his son's bus on the app, but he can't do that when routes get combined, which happens often and leads to delays.
But this was more than a delay. E.J. is supposed to be dropped off at 3:17 p.m.
"It happened to be that the bus driver forgot to drop him off, went to pick up other kids from another school, then they found him on the bus, and finally he got home around 4:45," Krajewski said.
What's Causing the Issues?
Short staffing. Bus drivers have to double up routes when other drivers don't come to work.
"I understand everyone's short-staffed, but let's come to a resolution here so we're not waiting an hour for our child," he said.
I reached out to First Student.
"We recognize that this is not in line with the standards we set for ourselves and understand the inconvenience and stress this causes for students, families, and the district," a spokesperson wrote. "We remain committed to providing safe, reliable transportation and sincerely appreciate the community’s patience and continued partnership as we work to uphold the highest standards of service."
What's Being Done to Fix It?
I asked Dr. Lisa Krueger, West Seneca Central School District Superintendent, about this over the phone.
"We're working with our partners at First Student so that they understand our concern," Dr. Kruger said. "We understand and hear your frustration. We're not okay with this."
Dr. Kruger had a meeting with First Student and says she was told there will be an increase in recruitment efforts, including a higher signing bonus.
I asked First Student about that bonus, and it appears to be $3,000. However, it's unclear whether that's an increase from the start of the school year.
"We will continue to closely monitor the situation, and we have scheduled a follow-up meeting in November," said Dr. Krueger.
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