SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Veronika Burkel, a parent in the Scottsdale Unified School District, says the school bus that picks up her daughters has been late twice this week and several times this school year.
"Routinely has issues, either not showing up or coming very late," Burkel said.
So behind schedule that Burkel reports in some cases, the bus can be up to an hour late, and other times, she never sees it arrive. She said children are just left waiting at the bus stop.
"It's not how it's supposed to be. They should be in school by 8:15, school starts," said Burkel.
Scottsdale Unified School District does send out alerts when their buses are running late. However, Burkel says she hasn't been getting them every time.
She says the students are then forced to walk about half an hour to get to school, or she will drive her kids herself, adding frustration because of her job, she can't drive her kids to school every time the school bus is late.
Scottsdale Unified School District told ABC15 in a statement today:
“It is always our goal to transport our students safely and efficiently to and from school every day. In this instance, parents should have been notified that their students’ bus was running late so they could make alternate arrangements. We are working with our transportation staff to resolve these shortcomings and to better meet our service standards.”
The district went on to add they are suffering from a shortage of school bus drivers.
