Authorizing the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education and the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Children and Youth to hold joint hearings examining recent instances of school bus lateness in the School District of Philadelphia and the detrimental effects school bus lateness has on students.

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia School District found in December 2015 that school buses are responsible for transporting nearly 40,000 students to and from school on a daily basis, while School District subsidies for TransPasses extend transportation service to another 60,000 students; and

WHEREAS, Reductions in school bus service disproportionately affect working-class and disadvantaged communities and place an undue burden on both parents and students in these areas; and

WHEREAS, According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, students who ride the bus are nearly eight times safer while on the road than those who arrive to school by private transportation; and

WHEREAS, The American School Bus Council estimates that each school bus saves 1,714 gallons of fuel annually when compared to the use of private vehicles, making the school bus program an important part of the City’s sustainability efforts; and

WHEREAS, School buses and drivers play an important role in reducing truancy rates, with the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin finding that 20% of truancy cases result from students having missed the school bus; and

WHEREAS, According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, formal complaints were lodged in 2015 with the Department of Education regarding the inconsistency of School District-provided transportation to and from school; and

WHEREAS, A report following a Pennsylvania state review of transportation services for special education students alone for the 2014-15 school year found that buses failed to pick up students 10 times and had been late to school 392 times; and

WHEREAS, Consistency and routine scheduling provide the necessary structure for students to develop and thrive; and

WHEREAS, Many parents in the City of Philadelphia rely on the regular schedule of school bus service to ensure that their children are transported to and from school in a safe and timely manner; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Education and the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Children and Youth to hold joint hearings examining recent instances of school bus lateness in the School District of Philadelphia and the detrimental effects school bus lateness has on students.

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