Boston Public Schools fines bus contractor as parents demand answers

Overview

Updated 1 hour ago

For nearly seven school years, Cheryl Buckman has tracked every late bus and missed pickup her neurodivergent son experienced on his way to a Boston public school. This fall, the district began fining its bus contractor, Transdev, for those failures. But parents and city councilors say the penalties are too small and the problems too persistent.

Boston Public Schools has assessed more than $400,000 in penalties against Transdev this school year, including a new $10,500 fine for blown trips reported on November 2. The district says it is enforcing contract terms that were long on the books. Parents and councilors want a deeper overhaul, starting with an independent review of the transportation system.

Why it matters

When buses fail, thousands of Boston families lose work hours and children lose class time, even as the district spends nearly $200 million a year on transportation.

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Key Indicators

$10,500

New fine for blown trips

Assessed against Transdev in the latest enforcement action.

$400,500

Total fines last school year

Penalties assessed against Transdev between March and June 2026.

61%

On-time performance on first day of school

The share of buses arriving on time at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.

1,263

Improperly serviced routes

Routes that triggered penalties against Transdev between March and June 2026.

$200 million

Annual transportation budget

Boston Public Schools spends nearly this amount annually on student transportation.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Erin Murphy

Boston City Councilor

Leading calls for accountability and independent review

Cheryl Buckman

Parent of BPS student

Documenting bus issues for nearly seven school years

Joshua Torcivia

Parent of BPS student

Advocating for reliable door-to-door service

Organizations Involved

Boston Public Schools (BPS)

School district

Enforcing contract penalties against bus contractor

The district responsible for educating about 49,000 students in Boston.

Transdev

Private transportation contractor

Facing fines and scrutiny over service and safety

An international private company that operates Boston's school bus fleet.

Boston City Council

Municipal legislature

Pressuring BPS for accountability

The legislative body for the City of Boston.

Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

State education board

Reviewing request for independent review

The state board that oversees K-12 education in Massachusetts.

Timeline

June 2026 November 2026

2 events Latest: Yesterday

November 2026
BPS fines Transdev additional $10,500 for blown trips
Latest Accountability

The new fine adds to more than $400,000 assessed last school year. Parents and city councilors call the system broken and failed.
Yesterday
June 2026
BPS assesses $400,500 in fines against Transdev
Accountability

The penalties cover March through June; the district says the incidents represent less than 0.5% of bus runs.
June 30th, 2026

Scenarios

Boston Public Schools replaces Transdev with new bus contractor

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Parent advocates, city councilors

After repeated fines and continued complaints, BPS issues a new request for proposals and awards the contract to a different vendor. Trigger: continued poor on-time performance or a major safety incident. The city council could push for this outcome if fines fail to improve service.

Transdev improves performance, BPS fines stop

Likely Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: BPS and Transdev

Under financial pressure, Transdev fixes driver shortages and on-time performance consistently exceeds 90%, leading BPS to reduce or eliminate fines. Trigger: monthly on-time performance above 90% for three consecutive months. The district says this is already happening.

State orders independent review of Boston school bus system

Uncertain Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: City Councilor Erin Murphy, BESE

Murphy has asked BESE to review the system. BESE could launch a formal review, leading to state-mandated reforms or oversight. Trigger: BESE vote to conduct review. Chair Craven says the board is already reviewing the request.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

September 2019

Boston school bus breakdown and apology (2019)

A bus from Match Charter School in Hyde Park broke down after leaving school, leaving students stranded for hours. Parents were not notified, and some called police. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius apologized and said the district would add call center staff.

Then

The district promised better communication but did not fundamentally change its transportation system.

Now

Bus reliability problems persisted, leading to the current accountability push.

Why this matters now

Shows that communication failures and breakdowns are recurring, not one-off, and that previous fixes were insufficient.

April 2025

Hyde Park fatal school bus crash (April 2025)

A Transdev school bus driver was charged in a crash that killed 5-year-old BPS student Lens Joseph. A ProPublica/WBUR investigation later found dozens of serious crashes involving Transdev buses were missing from a federal safety database.

Then

U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Maria Cantwell called for a federal investigation into the reporting gaps.

Now

Raised questions about contractor safety and transparency, adding to pressure for oversight.

Why this matters now

Demonstrates that the stakes go beyond punctuality and that contractor accountability includes accurate safety reporting.