Bus agencies struggle to meet CHSD teams’ needs

District is seeking solution to team busing problems

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Three times this month, the bus for Central High School’s cross-country team never came, causing the athletes to miss meets. Two other times, the team was late for meets, its bus failing to arrive on time.

Team members and their parents brought their concerns about busing to the Central High School District Board of Education on Oct. 10.

For Joedell Bastien, a team member, the late or no-show buses have wrecked his chances to improve on his personal best running times. As a senior, in the final season of his high school cross-country career, it has long been his goal to break 19 minutes for a 5K.

“I can’t break 19 if I’m not able to make it to the race,” he said.

The team captain, Emmett Conway, 17, also a senior, said he almost didn’t qualify for the Nassau County Cross Country championship because of the missed meets, since runners must compete in a certain number of races. Coach Michael McQuillan managed to schedule more competitions to allow Conway to make the cut, he said.

“Even though I was still able to qualify for the championships, this situation created unnecessary stress, and it’s been demoralizing,” Conway said. “I did all this training for those races and made sure I ate clean to prep for those races, and I still couldn’t even run in them because the buses didn’t show up.”

For parents of the athletes, the busing issue affected them as well. Several times they drove to a meet — usually at Bethpage State Park — and their children were no-shows.

Board of Education trustees said they were working on a solution, but both athletes and parents said the problem was still occurring.

“The school board has not been helpful,” Conway’s mother, Joosoo Kim, said. “I want the board to come up with a resolution, and find a better bus company, because they are aware of the issue, and they said it wouldn’t happen again, but it has happened many times.”

“The board is very aware of the problem, and I would say they are doing everything they can to address it,” Bastien said, “but seeing that it’s been an issue for a good month and a half for us, I can’t say that with full certainty.”

The board members said on Oct. 10 that the problem was a lack of bus drivers available for the district’s athletic teams, but according to a memo sent by district athletic director, Scott Stueber, to his coaching staff, and provided to the Herald, the problem runs much deeper.

The district had relied on Veterans Transportation Co. Inc. for team transportation until a buyout this summer, and the school’s contract went to the Oceanside-based Guardian Bus Co. Inc. Guardian has subcontracted with another bus company, WE Transport Inc. to handle busing for teams at North and Memorial Junior high schools, while it handles Central and South high schools.

Last month, the district went through an emergency request-for-proposals process to fill the void left by Veterans, but could not find a company to meet its needs.

Stueber wrote that We’s and Guardian’s pick-up times should improve as its drivers learn their new routes, but noted that Guardian has informed the district that most of its drivers would be unable to pick up at Central until at least 3:45 p.m.

For Central’s cross-country team, however, the buses need to arrive at the school by 3:15 p.m. for members to make their 5 p.m. meets, according to Bastien. To fill that gap, Stueber wrote, the district is working with another bus company, Rivlab Coporation Transportation, which provides shuttle services during the day, to meet the cross-country team’s needs.

“The district administration will continue to reach out to the various transportation providers in the hope that their availability may change,” Stueber said. “I thank all of you for your professionalism and ask that we continue to do our best given the current situation.”