School buses return on Wednesday
School buses will be back on the roads when students return to school from winter break on Wednesday, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said on Monday.
After a month-long strike that began on Jan. 16, drivers and matrons of Local 1181 of Amalgamated Transit Union return to work on Wednesday. Parents of more than 150,000 students who were affected by the strike no longer have to worry about how to get their children to school.
Walcott said parents and students should expect some normal delays on Wednesday, similar to the first day of school, DNAinfo.com reported.
The city spent more than $20 million as a result of the strike–reimbursing parents for transportation costs and providing free MetroCards–but it still saved nearly $60 million.
The city has received 65 bids to run the 1,100 bus routes for special needs students.
The DOE estimates the new contracts may save the city more than $100 million over the next five years, DNAinfo.com reports.
