As of Wednesday, Feb. 20, New York City’s school bus strike is finally over, and school buses will resume full service to New York City public school children for the first time in five weeks. Here is some important information from the NYC Department of Education (DOE) that will help make the transition back to yellow bus service as smooth as possible.
In case you missed the good news, the city’s school bus strike is finally over. School buses will resume full service to New York City public school children for the first time in five weeks starting today, Wednesday, Feb. 20.
School officials have been notifying parents that the strike has ended since the announcement was made late Friday. However, they are advising families that there could be some hiccups as service resumes.
Below is some important information from the NYC Department of Education (DOE) that will help make the transition back to yellow bus service as smooth as possible.
Route Finder
The DOE anticipates that all bus routes will be running tomorrow. However, there may be some delays, similar to the first day of school. Please use the route finder on the DOE’s website to confirm if your child’s route is operating. Information will be updated at 7am daily.
Students who were assigned to a new route during the strike will remain on that route until they hear from the Office of Pupil Transportation.
Students with Individual Education Plans (IEP)
As the city welcomes back students with IEPs who were affected by the strike, schools will be working directly with families to provide appropriate additional supports to overcome any interruptions. As always, the process will be focused on each student’s individual needs and circumstances. Parents should contact their school to discuss these additional supports.
Transportation Reimbursement
The DOE will continue to accept reimbursement forms for cabs and car service used during the strike as well as reimbursement forms for gas mileage. All reimbursements should be in within the next 30 days. Complete information, instructions, and forms (available in English, Chinese, Russian and other languages) are available on the DOE’s website.
MetroCards
MetroCards issued to students and parents affected by the strike will expire today, on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The DOE is urging parents to return the cards to their child’s school.
If you have any questions or concerns about the resumption of yellow school bus service, call your school, 311, or the DOE’s Office of Pupil Transportation at 718-392-8855.
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If you’d still like to make your opinion about the NYC Bus Strike known, join The ARISE Coalition & The Citywide Council on Special Education tomorrow night (Thursday, Feb. 21) at 6pm at Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon St., Brooklyn for “Where Is The Bus?”, a public speak out that will still occur despite the end of the strike. For more information about the event visit our calendar.
