So frustrated!

malcivar

*this is a rant so feel free to skip over*

DS2 started at his EI place on Tuesday and seems to really like it.  We went for an open school night last week (prior to him starting) and while the meeting was going on, some of the teachers took the little ones upstairs to play and I thought it'd be minutes until they brought him back because he was upset.  Well, 60+ mins later, I go upstairs and he's sitting there, happy as a clam, playing legos.  So yay, he likes it!

Why ranting?  The bussing.  We filled out the paperwork and he was entered into the system last Monday.  The director says, if they don't call you by Thursday, let me know.  I call Thursday afternoon - no, they haven't called me.  Give it til tomorrow.  Ok, I call on Monday - oh no, let me call them.  Nothing resolved by Tuesday (first day of school).  So I drive him.  And spend the rest of the day making calls to the bus company (who have no qualms making it very clear that they're becoming increasingly annoyed with me) and to the Office of Pupil Transportation - that 2nd group is nice enough but started out being helpful but now I just feel like they're giving me the runaround.

Bus company says they can't see DS2 in the system.  School and OPT say - that's crazy, he's there.  Bus company holds fast - nope, can't see him and give some BS reason which halfway through the day becomes a moot point.  Finally at like 5pm when I'd called for maybe the 6th time, someone very testily tells me yes they can see him but 'there's no price for him'.  I'm sorry, what?  My kid - has a price.  Don't get me started.  My tone must've given it all away because she explained that every child has to have their assigned rate - what the city will pay the bus company for the service and that was blank for DS2.  They were waiting on that from the city.

So I call OPT (the city) and they're like 'yeahhhh ... ummm ... we've been working that out all day".  I lost it and asked the guy why couldn't anyone tell me that in the morning so I wasn't borderline harassing people all day.  But he says - this should be worked out by tonight.  They have until 7pm to call you.  So I pretty much glue the phone to my ear for the next 2 hrs.  Nope, no call.

Call OPT this morning.  "Oh um, did anyone call you or pick him up today?"  No, braintrust, nobody called me that's why I'm calling again.  Thankfully DS2 is off until next Tuesday but as of right now I have ZERO confidence this'll be resolved by then.  I'm just so friggin' frustrated!  

And somehow I have to try to concentrate on work.  

malcivar

The issue appears to be that DS2 is not a 5 days/wk rider.  He only goes for 3 days.  

There used to be a 'higher authority' until the city in an effort to cut costs put the 'runs' (routes) out to bid so naturally the lowest bids win.  It was an effort to thwart some of the bigger union-run bus companies in the city that were charging a premium for the service because they had the most buses, etc etc etc.  When they put them out to bid, suddenly the smaller non-union companies had the upper hand.  What's come out of that is that some of the larger companies have dissolved into little companies that bid on the runs independently.  Welcome to NYC where the 'district' doesn't run the bussing.  It's all individually owned companies that have to work with (not for) the office of pupil transportation.  

The school director just called me to check in.  She was dismayed as I was that this wasn't resolved yet, especially since they (school) and the OPT office are closed Thurs/Fri for the Jewish holiday.  This means there's today and Monday to resolve this or I'll be driving my son to school again on Tuesday.

Princess_Lily

What a headache.

Don't feel so bad about calling! IME diligent calls & followups gets a job done quicker than if you took a passive approach.