Boy's Two Hour Bus Ride Home

A 10-year-old special needs student gets taken over 100 blocks out of the way when his bus drives him home, which makes his afternoon commute home just about two hours. Evan Bongirne's mother said, "No kid should get on a bus at 7 a.m. and come home at 5 p.m." This year, Evan "was moved from a short bus with a half-dozen kids to a long bus with as many as 14 kids who attend four different schools." His school is at West 82nd Street, and the bus travels to 108th Street before heading to his East 11th Street neighborhood. The Department of Education tells the Post that while special-needs students' bus routes did decrease, it's actually because they have better routes. Flashback to January 2007, when the DOE changed bus routes and 7-year-olds were told to take three different city buses and siblings going to the same school had pickup locations a mile away.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on September 11, 2008 1:35 PM

Comments [rss]

EricRoberts

@whantmoore - why would you expect nyc be easier for special needs kids? It's not easier for anybody else.

whantmoore

It sucks that in a major city that a kid who as special needs still needs to go through a lot of BS

Outter Burrougher

and jack, those things cost money which might not be available and which shouldn't have to be spent.

Kojak

DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

On a serious note, I'm more concerned about using regular long buses since they are not equipped to handle students with special needs. Short buses are specially designed to shuttle these kids.

plk779

My middle school commute was much the same, though only an hour - we stopped at 3 different schools and mine was last. This was DC though, if that matters. Yeah, it's no fun.

Jen Chung

@jackdonaghy--my guess is that he takes special needs classes at that particular school. I think the case with many NYC public school parents is that they'd love for good schools for their children's needs to be closer.

Think2wice

He steps on the clutch

and the toilet goes flush.

Hail to the bus driver,

Bus driver man.

jackdonaghy

That's an awfully long and painful commute for anyone, let alone a child.

Is it too harsh to ask why his family doesn't move closer to his school or find another way to get him back and forth (i.e. taxi or car service, etc)?