Monday, November 21, 2011
Community High School District 99, Woodridge School District 68 and Downers Grove School District 58 will each recoup 50 percent of fees paid to Westway for the first three weeks of school.
Westway Coach bus service kicked off the first weeks of school with missed stops, missing buses and students being dropped off late to school and home. Community High School District 99, Woodridge School District 68 and Downers Grove School District 58 will now recoup tens of thousands of dollars for compensation from Westway Coach, Inc. Per their contract with Westway, the districts can receive 10 percent back for a late bus, 25 pecent back for an incorrect route (like a missed pick-up) and 100 percent back for a route where no bus showed up, according to Patrick Broncato, assistant superintendent of personnel for District 68. Broncato said officials had been reviewing their records to tally up each of the offenses. Each district will …
Friday, September 9, 2011
The district sent out an e-release Friday afternoon stating it was optimistic it would receive the quality of bus service it expected from Westway.
Bus service "greatly improved" this week for the majority of routes at North and South High Schools, a District 99 release said Friday. "Right now, we are optimistic that Westway Coach will continue to provide us with the level of service we demand and have outlined in our agreement with them," the release said. The district apologized to students affected, saying Westway's poor service directly reflected on District 99. "Even though we contract with an outside company, we recognize and take responsibility for the fact that their service is a direct reflection upon us," the release said. "Our top priority has been to work through the challenges with Westway Coach to ensure that our students receive safe and reliable transportation to and …
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Per Westway's contract with each school district, poor bus service translates to money back.
Woodridge School District 68 and Community High School District 99 officials said this week they continue to work with Westway Coach, Inc. to correct issues and are considering how best to pursue financial sanctions they're entitled to in their contracts. Some missed pick-ups and late buses continued Tuesday, according to Patrick Broncato, assistant superintendent of personnel for District 68. However, there are fewer in the third week of school than there were in the first two, he said. Broncato said District 68 continued to work with Westway in refining routes and making adjustments where needed. District 99 made a similar report. "Fortunately, the timeliness and accuracy of the routes at both schools have continued to improve," District…
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
President John Benish, Jr., details steps taken to resolve the problems that have plagued bus routes since last Wednesday.
John Benish, Jr., the president of Westway Coach, Inc., released a statement Wednesday morning taking full responsibility for the poor bus service Downers Grove Grade School District 58, Woodridge School District 68 and Community High School District 99 have received since last Wednesday. He outlined steps taken to fix problems, including replacing at least two employees, as well as meeting with school districts and having employees run practice routes with bus drivers. Benish said things have run smoother the past two days. Districts 68 and 99 told Patch bus service was improved Tuesday, although some issues remained. The full statement is below. “We want the communities of Downers Grove and Woodridge to know that our company takes full …
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
No changes have been made to routes for John L. Sipley Elementary and Jefferson Jr. High School.
Updated, Aug. 30, 5:45 p.m. Woodridge School District 68 posted revised bus routes to school websites Tuesday evening to be used for Wednesday morning. Changes have been made to routes for every school except John L. Sipley Elementary School and Jefferson Jr. High School. Tuesday was a much better day for the district's bus service, according to Greg Wolcott, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. -- Bus service wasn't perfect for District 68 Tuesday morning, but it was improved, according to district officials. There were still missed pick-ups and late buses, but "much fewer than in prior days," said Kevin Wegner, assistant superintendent of business for the district. For instance, one bus driver was lost coming from a …
Monday, August 29, 2011
District 68, 99 parents reported more missed pick-ups and delays Monday.
There will be some new kids at the bus stop Tuesday, but they won't look like your average high-schooler. Community High School District 99 officials reported Monday afternoon they would be at the most problematic bus stops Tuesday to monitor the performance of Westway Coach, Inc. Parents in both District 99 and Woodridge School District 68 reported missed pick-ups and late buses Monday as issues that have plagued the bus routes both districts continued into the second week of school. The issues started on the first day of school, last Wednesday. District 68 and 99 said they had met with Westway officials Friday to express concerns and to fix the problems. However, problems remained. "At Jefferson Jr. High, the problems have not gotten …
Thursday, August 25, 2011
District 99 sent another apology Thursday after issues that plagued bus routes on the first day of school continued the second day.
District 99 sent another apology for its bus service Thursday after issues continued with delays and missed pick-ups. "We are extremely disappointed that the problems many experienced yesterday were not rectified today, and we again apologize to all of the students and families who have been affected," the district said in an e-mail. The district sent a similar e-mail Wednesday night apologizing for "poor bus service." Wednesday's e-mail went on to say the district had spoken with the vice president of operations with Westway, who assured district officials poor service would not be repeated Thursday. Jill Browning, communications director for the district, had attributed the issues to the confusion of the half-day schedule, in which …
The school district apologized for the "poor" service Wednesday and promised bus service would run more smoothly Thursday.
The first day of school always brings some nervous anticipation; maybe more so when your bus doesn't arrive to pick you up. District 99 apologized for "poor bus service" Wednesday after confusion caused some delays and missed pick-ups for the first day of school. It was the first school day the district worked with Westway Coach. Districts 58, 68 and 99 decided to consolidate bus routes this year and sign with a single company as a more efficient, cost-saving venture. The decision will save District 68 $300,000 a year, according to Kevin Wegner, assistant superintendent of business for Woodridge School District 68. District 99 had a half-day Wednesday. Upperclassmen attended school in the morning; the afternoon was reserved for freshmen. …
Jane
9:03 am on Friday, September 9, 2011
We should really be questioning the school officials that came up with this contract provision because it fails to protect taxpayers: "The district can receive 10 percent back for a late bus, 25 pecent back for an incorrect route (like a missed pick-up) and 100 percent back for a route where no bus showed up." more ›