Late, no-show buses trigger complaints in Glen Ellyn Dist. 41

What was supposed to be a smooth start to the school year turned into a frustrating first day of classes for Jim Larrison's son.

The Hadley Junior High student stepped outside his Glen Ellyn home Monday morning, more than 15 minutes before his bus was due to arrive. And then he waited. And waited.

"It never showed," his dad says.

The return of a district busing provider in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 prompted a slew of complaints from parents on social media about no-show drivers who missed stops along their routes. That left some parents scrambling to get their kids to school, while others reported drivers running behind schedule.

By Tuesday morning, Superintendent Paul Gordon said service was "significantly better" to the district's schools.

Last April, First Student was awarded a three-year contract at a cost of about $2.2 million, the lowest of two bids.

The company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, bused students to and from school in Glen Ellyn less than a decade ago, but now has different ownership, Gordon said.

District 41 is part of a transportation collaborative that sought contract proposals from bus companies last school year. The specifications for the bid allowed each member of the district to enter into a separate contract with the bidder of choice.

Glenbard High School District 87 also hired First Student. The company was "proactive with drivers conducting 'dry runs' before school started, but there are still a few adjustments to be made," Glenbard spokeswoman Peg Mannion said in an email Tuesday.

A few routes are "overcrowded," Mannion said, but that issue should take a week or two to sort through. The district also has stressed the importance of the company's dispatcher contacting assistant principals if a bus is expected to run late.

"We saw a big improvement with most of the 67 buses being on time today," Mannion said.

District 41 provided the company with a list of parents requesting bus service on July 11, spokeswoman Erika Krehbiel said. The district can still send any updates after that date as new students move into the district, which does not distribute routes to bus drivers.

"Our expectation is that they have the routes and practice them before school starts," Krehbiel said in an email.

It wasn't immediately clear how long it took the company to finalize the routes. First Student spokesman Jay Brock said Tuesday the company had worked with District 41 to address concerns "quickly and swiftly."

"It's a learning curve for us," he said.

On the way back home from school Monday, Larrison's son wasn't dropped off in the right spot and had to cross a busy stretch of Park Boulevard. Students also had to give directions to the driver, Larrison said.

"The kids were saying, 'you're going the wrong way,'" he said.