WEBVTT NOTE duration:"00:03:43.3860000" NOTE language:en-us NOTE Confidence: 0.98064023 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.060 I have a way to get my child at school. NOTE Confidence: 0.98064023 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.220 But I'm looking out for the other parents. NOTE Confidence: 0.98064023 00:00:05.220 --> 00:00:07.380 The parents that got to go to work. NOTE Confidence: 0.98064023 00:00:07.380 --> 00:00:09.810 They don't have a way to get there. Well, NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:09.810 --> 00:00:10.890 parents voiced their frustrations NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:10.890 --> 00:00:12.240 as another school year begins. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:13.860 Without enough school buses, that's right. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:13.860 --> 00:00:15.750 And another school year has also begun. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:15.750 --> 00:00:17.060 And once again, David Hammers NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:17.060 --> 00:00:18.691 investigation taken for a ride is NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:18.691 --> 00:00:20.335 finding major problems with school buses. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:20.340 --> 00:00:22.316 But this time it's not just a problem NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:22.316 --> 00:00:24.352 for the city of New Orleans and not NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:24.352 --> 00:00:26.280 just an issue for charter schools. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:27.888 There's a shortage of school bus NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:27.888 --> 00:00:29.250 drivers across the whole area. NOTE Confidence: 0.9889268 00:00:29.250 --> 00:00:30.600 Here's David with that story. NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:34.630 --> 00:00:36.400 This frustrated parent met us NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:36.400 --> 00:00:38.530 at her child's bus stop in NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:38.602 --> 00:00:40.968 mid city where she and her Pierre, NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:40.970 --> 00:00:43.778 a capdau student, waited in vain last week NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:46.139 about 6:31. We came out here waiting NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:46.139 --> 00:00:48.666 on the school bus to scoop up NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:48.666 --> 00:00:50.466 Saposa path before 7:00 o'clock. NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:50.470 --> 00:00:52.576 The school bus never did pass, NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:52.580 --> 00:00:55.044 so we stood out here. About 7:30, NOTE Confidence: 0.97239304 00:00:55.044 --> 00:00:56.804 almost 8:00 o'clock the school NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:00:56.810 --> 00:00:58.934 bus never came a National School NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:00:58.934 --> 00:01:00.786 bus company called First Student NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:00.786 --> 00:01:03.355 provides 57 buses for capto and eight NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:03.355 --> 00:01:05.458 other inspire NOLA charter schools, NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:05.460 --> 00:01:07.800 according to data from Inspire Nola. NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:07.800 --> 00:01:10.188 38 of those buses haven't received NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:10.188 --> 00:01:12.470 a new city permit in 2021. NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:12.470 --> 00:01:14.026 City spokesman Beau Tidwell NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:14.026 --> 00:01:16.360 says there's no excuse for that. NOTE Confidence: 0.974709041739131 00:01:16.360 --> 00:01:17.518 Buses can start NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:17.520 --> 00:01:19.848 coming in for inspection as early NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:19.848 --> 00:01:22.346 as April, April May, June nobody. NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:22.346 --> 00:01:24.491 Everybody waited till the last NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:24.491 --> 00:01:26.467 minute to do this last week, NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:26.470 --> 00:01:29.186 so that's why we're in this backlog NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:29.190 --> 00:01:30.742 situation and it's hardly NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:30.742 --> 00:01:32.294 unique to first students, NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:32.300 --> 00:01:34.680 buses, or inspire NOLA schools. NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:37.249 Tidwell says only 392 of the 695 NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:37.249 --> 00:01:39.599 school buses registered in the city NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:41.564 have received the necessary permits. NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:41.570 --> 00:01:43.490 That's about 56%, not great, NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:43.490 --> 00:01:45.022 but up significantly from NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:45.022 --> 00:01:46.936 just 16% a week ago. NOTE Confidence: 0.98000276 00:01:46.936 --> 00:01:50.374 For us, it's there's only so much we can NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:01:50.380 --> 00:01:52.678 do. We're open and we're ready, NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:55.360 and we've been ready since April. Another NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:01:55.360 --> 00:01:57.658 major factor is the bus drivers, NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:01:57.660 --> 00:02:00.334 who also have to get city permits, NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:00.340 --> 00:02:02.704 inspire Nola. Sent us a list NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:02.704 --> 00:02:05.030 of 73 first student drivers. NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:05.030 --> 00:02:07.207 54 of them have city permits that NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:07.207 --> 00:02:09.074 are expired, and here there's yet NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:09.074 --> 00:02:10.318 another challenge to overcome. NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:11.875 The pandemic has created a NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:11.875 --> 00:02:13.119 shortage of bus drivers. NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:14.980 If these companies don't have drivers, NOTE Confidence: 0.9835915 00:02:14.980 --> 00:02:16.228 one of them I NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:16.230 --> 00:02:18.090 know last Friday set an appointment. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:18.090 --> 00:02:20.267 I think they're going to bring in NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:20.267 --> 00:02:22.134 15 buses, and they weren't able NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:22.134 --> 00:02:24.000 to do that 'cause they didn't NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.248 have people to drive him in the New NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:26.248 --> 00:02:27.826 Orleans Public School District says NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:27.826 --> 00:02:30.066 it's working with the RTA to recruit NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:30.126 --> 00:02:32.046 city bus drivers to handle school NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:32.046 --> 00:02:34.024 routes during their off hours or NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:34.024 --> 00:02:36.106 even to bring back retired drivers. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:36.110 --> 00:02:39.110 But the driver shortage is not just in NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:39.110 --> 00:02:42.050 New Orleans and it's all Charter system. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:44.558 The Jefferson Parish Public School District NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:44.558 --> 00:02:47.590 uses first student to run half its routes, NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:47.590 --> 00:02:50.200 150 of them district spokesman Ted NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:50.200 --> 00:02:52.710 Beasley said the company couldn't do NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:55.478 21 of those routes Monday and 20 on NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:55.560 --> 00:02:58.290 Tuesday because of a lack of drivers. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:02:58.290 --> 00:03:00.702 First, student has been dropping Flyers NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:00.702 --> 00:03:03.039 in neighborhoods around the metro area, NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:03.040 --> 00:03:04.620 offering healthy salaries and NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:06.574 signing bonuses, even for drivers. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:06.574 --> 00:03:08.514 Who don't have their commercial NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:08.514 --> 00:03:10.690 license yet and inspire Nola CEO, NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:10.690 --> 00:03:12.742 Jamar Mcneely sent this letter to NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:12.742 --> 00:03:14.710 parents asking them for patients. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:14.710 --> 00:03:16.966 But that's a rare commodity for NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:16.966 --> 00:03:18.893 parents whose patience is already NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:18.893 --> 00:03:21.343 worn thin as they send their children NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:21.343 --> 00:03:23.500 back to school in a pandemic. NOTE Confidence: 0.9628662 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:24.960 Bands ain't got no NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:26.775 money after deal, so try NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:26.775 --> 00:03:29.349 to help us give us a break. NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:29.350 --> 00:03:30.818 David Hammer, Eyewitness News NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:30.820 --> 00:03:33.010 student did not respond to requests NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:33.010 --> 00:03:35.368 for comment today, the New Orleans NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:35.368 --> 00:03:37.687 Public School District said it is NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:37.687 --> 00:03:39.397 working with the city government NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:39.397 --> 00:03:41.249 to process more bus permits. NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:42.528 And they hope to have the NOTE Confidence: 0.9575599 00:03:42.528 --> 00:03:43.380 issue resolved very soon.