Busing errors anger Malverne parents

Dozens of Malverne parochial school students had a bit of a rocky start last week after District 12's new bus company made several transportation mistakes during the opening days of school.

Malverne residents, whose children attend St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hempstead, say they were forced to find alternative transportation for their children nearly everyday last week because the Rivlab Corp Transportation company “appeared to be unprepared for the first week of school.”

According to many parents, the problems began during the days leading up to the first day of school on Sept. 8 because Rivlab officials did not notify parents when and where the bus would pick up their children. Some parents noted that they called the company and district inquiring about the information, but were not given the details. As a result, many residents said, they were left wondering what happened after the bus did not show up to their houses last Tuesday.

Parents later learned that Rivlab designated bus stops for the children, which caused most of the students to miss the school bus on the first day because the kids were waiting in front of their homes. This news also came as a surprise to some because the district has had door-to-door service for St. Thomas students for the past several years.

"The bus never showed up on the first day of school and then we were told by the bus company that we were supposed to be at a corner bus stop," said resident Lisa McCutcheon, whose son and daughter attend St. Thomas. "We're not mind-readers, so how are we supposed to know where to go and what time to be at these stops if no one tells us this information."

Controversy also sparked later that day after Rivlab officials told parents that the 49 St. Thomas students who live in Malverne and nearby areas in the district would be placed on one school bus because the district is only paying for one bus. During the Malverne Board of Education's monthly meeting last Tuesday, several parents voiced concerns about Rivlab's performance during the first day of school.