Over 60% of Boston school buses were on time last Tuesday. Some parents say it’s still not good enough.

Cheryl Buckman could see the excitement on her son’s face as he began eighth grade with a set of teachers he loves. But over the first three days of school, Buckman watched that excitement turn to frustration as bus issues plagued their mornings.

“He’s getting used to [his teachers], and he can’t get used to them if his bus is running behind schedule,” Buckman, a parent advocate, told Boston.com last week. “I want him to have a memorable eighth-grade experience. He can’t have that if he’s not in school on time.”

Buckman, of South Boston, said the bus was roughly 25 minutes late Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, 10 minutes before the bus was scheduled to arrive, she received a notification that the bus was unassigned.

The frustrations follow Boston Public Schools reporting that 61% of its buses arrived on time Tuesday, the second-best mark on record for the first day of school. The rate falls short of last year’s record-breaking 66% on-time performance.

“We will closely monitor the average OTP in the coming days, weeks, and months as we anticipate continued improvement, similar to last year,” BPS spokesperson Samara Pinto wrote in an emailed statement.

The past two years improved from a dismal 2024, when only 34% of buses arrived on time during the first day.

However, some parents and guardians say the continuing delays unacceptable. 

“I’m not gonna sit there and not just protect my son but the kids that are on his bus too, because they all deserve their education,” Buckman said. “BPS needs to step it up and figure out why these buses are running late.”

Data and recent changes

The school district credits reforms and system-wide improvements, such as new technology and contracts, for the “strong start.”

BPS buses serve over 18,000 students across 609 routes, and the district recorded 81% of buses arriving within 15 minutes of the bell and 92% arriving within 30 minutes Tuesday.

An April 2025 BPS report noted the first day OTP is typically the lowest, but it is an important metric to review year-over-year. Accordingly, on Wednesday, the OTP jumped to 80% with 97% arriving within 30 minutes, according to BPS data.

Boston Public Schools contracts with Transdev, which has operated with the school district since 2013. The global private bus operator, which started a new five-year contract in 2023, is supported by 730 drivers and 650 bus monitors across 750 yellow BPS buses this year.

Following the death of 5-year-old Lens Joseph, who was killed by a school bus in Hyde Park in April 2025, the city announced an independent investigation into the school’s transportation system. The investigation, which the city released last August, found the company failed to keep “responsible” record-keeping practices, and driver training records were “incomplete and unreliable,” according to the report. 

Last school year, Boston Public Schools fined Transdev over $400,000 for buses that were late or did not show up between March and June, as reported by WBUR. The contract allows BPS to fine the company $500 for each instance a bus is an hour or more late, or doesn’t show up.

The fines came during a stretch between April and June when the buses recorded high morning OTP marks averaging over 94%, according to district data. In June, the buses recorded a 95% OTP, the highest monthly mark on record.

The 95% OTP matches the goal set forth in the city and district’s 2022 Systemic Improvement Plan. Last year, BPS averaged a 91.4% morning OTP, according to district data.

BPS points to improved staffing due to expanded recruitment and paid training to decrease the number of uncovered routes. BPS recorded only seven uncovered trips on the first day this year, a slight improvement from last year’s nine, according to district data.

Similarly, BPS wrote in the 2025 report that a May 2022 bus drivers’ collective bargaining agreement and the new Transdev contract addressed operational reforms.

At the start of the 2024 school year, BPS also implemented Zūm, a technology platform that tracks student ridership and aims to improve reliability and OTP, according to the April 2025 report. The report says that the technology provides ETAs and delay notifications to parents, increasing transparency.

“BPS will continue working in partnership with Transdev, bus drivers and bus monitors, and our school communities to provide students with safe, reliable transportation to and from school each day,” Pinto wrote in the email.

Impact on parents and students 

Terry Delehanty’s grandson took matters into his own hands when his bus didn’t show last week. The 12-year-old, who is starting seventh grade, elected to walk to school every morning in order to get there on time.

“These kids want to go to school. They need to learn,” Delehanty, of South Boston, told Boston.com. “It’s frustrating on the students, and it’s frustrating on the teachers.”

Delehanty believes they aren’t getting priority because they don’t live in the “high class” part of South Boston.

Buckman said she doesn’t feel comfortable scheduling a potential neck surgery until she can feel confident the bus will pick her son up, since she won’t be very mobile.

She added winter is around the corner. Parents can’t continue risking their jobs by skipping work to drive their children to school, she said.

“It’s either that parent’s gonna lose his job getting that child to school, or that child’s gonna miss school,” Buckman said. “Something’s gotta give.”

Buckman is calling on BPS leadership to implement citywide route audits and enforce strict oversight for transportation carrying students with individualized education plans.

“BPS really needs to meet us in the middle here because this is not what we want for our children,” she said. “They are the future tomorrow. How can they do that if they’re not getting the adequate ride to school?”