4 yr old ds on bus for 3 hrs today

amother

Aqua

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 7:33 pm

My son first day at a Brooklyn day camp today. We live a 20 min car ride away.
He finishes camp at 330. At 5 I called the office and they reassured me that he would be home any minute.
At 530 they said the bus driver didn't follow the route but they're in touch with him and my son will be dropped off in 3 more stops. At 545 the put me on hold. At 550 they hung up on me. At 610 pm after I insisted they called the bus driver who said my son is the only stop left and gave them his location. My son arrived home at 627 pm. 3 hrs after he got on the bus.
As a way of explaining the bus driver showed me his route which included 20 preschoolers. My son was the last stop.
What would u do.
Annon cuz I called to many ppl in an effort to find out where my son was!

Ema of 5

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 7:36 pm

I would call the camp tomorrow morning and tell them that this is absolutely unacceptable, and ask them what they plan to do. No child, no matter how old, should be on a bus for 3 hours, unless it's for a scheduled trip.

amother

Jade

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 7:39 pm

you need to pick him tomorrow and the next few days until they work out the routes.

Even if he is the last stop and there are 20 stops with traffic in shouldn't have taken more than 1 1/2 hours and that is obviously unacceptable as well.

Let the school know that you will not allow your son to go on the bus until they advocate for you that his bus ride will not take that long.

So sad that this happened to your son. He was probably scared, tired, hungry and needed the bathroom .... let him know that you will come and get him tomorrow. And get on the phone after he leaves and call the bus company and the camp office.

Amarante

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 7:43 pm

That's inhumane and I can't imagine subjecting any person - let alone a child to this kind of route. Even if it is re-routed slightly, dropping off 20 children means a LONG trip.

I agree that you have to bite the bullet and pick up the child for a few days until they work out an acceptable route. After spending all day in camp, how long do you think a child should be on a bus? They are tired and hot and just want to get home.

amother

Aqua

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 8:02 pm

I would love ds to be the first stop and get home after a 20 min bus ride. But I knew that's likely not the case. Which is why I opted to drive him in the morning even though I'm paying for bus. I assumed no longer than 1 hr bus ride. And intend to tell them that. The problem is that I cannot pick him up in the afternoon. Should I pull him from camp if they won't accommodate? And have him home? That sounds so disappointing. For both me and him

amother

Sapphire

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 8:11 pm

Usually, the first child on is the first child off. If he gets dropped last, wouldn't he also get picked up last, and the bus in would be easier?

Are you farther out than most people, in a different area? If not, there is room to adjust the route.

If you can't get him at 3:30, and he'd need to be on the bus for at least an hour, could they keep him for aftercare and you get him later?

I drive a carpool in suburbia that has me dropping off seven kids, elementary age. It takes 20-25 minutes. Times three is over an hour, I'm suburbia. Plus preschool. Oy.

little_mage

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 8:57 pm

amother wrote:

Usually, the first child on is the first child off. If he gets dropped last, wouldn't he also get picked up last, and the bus in would be easier?

I don't really want to derail the thread, but that has not been my experience. Growing up, it was first on, last off, because they'd run the route in reverse on the way home, so the kids farthest from the school got picked up first in the morning, and dropped off last in the afternoon. That being said, three hours is nuts, and more then that, so is the behavior of the camp administration. I hope you can figure it out, OP.

bookie

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 9:12 pm

gp2.0 wrote:

The first week the bus schedule is terrible. I don't know why they can't do a better job of planning it in advance. It gets better after the first week.

This. Three hours is insane and I would be flipping out but you do need to give it a few days. Also did they really leave at three thirty I know most camps on first day leave late.

sourstix

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 9:18 pm

3 hours?! I lived in brooklyn. and for over 30 years. it doesnt make a drop of sense. as far out cant be very far. its 20 kids. something is off. what did the driver say when he arrived? he should have told you why. pleeeeeeeese pick him up tomorrow and talk to the driver and get a picture. this is unacceptable. I would never let my child go through something like this especially in the heat of the summer. its dangerous. its not safe on so many levels. please dont allow it again. btw if its longer then usual the school should have known about it and had an answer. I once had dc on bus a long time and there was an accident and hatzolo and police was there. that made sense. see what I mean. if nothing happened it doesnt make sense.

Last edited by sourstix on Mon, Jun 29 2015, 9:20 pm; edited 1 time in total

ChaniH

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 9:19 pm

little_mage wrote:

Same by me first one on is the last one off, but 3 hrs is over doing it! There should be 2 busses if it's different neighbourhoods

amother

Jade

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 10:02 pm

The first few days of camp and school ---is normal for some kids to be on the bus for over an hour until they figure it all out. We all agree that the poor kids suffered for way longer today. Lets assume that his bus left at 3:40 and that it will normally take around 45 minutes. Anything longer than that is really not right.

I live 14 min (car) away from my sons school. But with the other bus stops he is usually on the bus for 45 min. Of course sometimes there are delays and bus issues and sometimes he gets home much later ...

OP - you get on that phone tomorrow! Ask to speak to the person in charge of buses when you call the camp. Sometimes they have a contact at the bus company.

amother

Aqua

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 11:35 pm

So I called the preschool director at her home this evening. (I sorta know her) I asked her if she was aware of what happened to the bus this afternoon. She said she heard it ran late.
I told her that my son got home 3 hrs after dismissal. 1.5 hrs after supper time. He peed himself along the way. She apologized. Agreed that this is really bad. Blamed it on the camp director who left route planning to last minute. And on 2 girls who were in charge of planning the route. She said she herself was working on it till 4 pm in Friday. But took no responsibility.
I asked her who I need to speak to Ensure a better bus ride and she gave me the first names of two office workers. And said I need to give it a few days till they figure things out. I told her I think it would make more sense if he was on a bus with other neighborhood kids (the route this bus took had him driving up to the thirties then down to east second and back to the thirties!) she said I could mention that to the office.
I just feel like the fact that she did not step up to say that she would make sure ds got on a better bus or... The fact that she really doesn't care, and she is the preschool director, I need to take ds out of this day camp.
I just feel so bad cuz ds has a hard time with transitions. And who's to say any other camp is better

bobeli

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 11:39 pm

I had something similar last year, my kids where on the bus for 2 hrs in the afternoon, and came late to the camp in the mornings. they didn't want to go to camp anymore so I got a driver to drive them and camp became fun again. it was more expensive than what I wanted to spend but it gave us back the summer!

gp2.0

Mon, Jun 29 2015, 11:56 pm

This is so stupid I just don't understand it. It is so easy to plan these things in advance. Using google maps with a little bit of knowledge how streets in the area are structured (which every driver knows, such as this street often has double parked trucks, this one has a short or long traffic light issue) they can so easily plan the route in advance and know how long it will take, give or take ten minutes. They do this every year for cryin out loud! The streets are the same! You'd think they know by now. Sigh. Yet everyone tells me the first week is always a disaster, everywhere.

Btw the thirties are not far from E 2nd. E 2nd is two blocks away from dahill which is a couple blocks from the 30s. Doesn't make sense to go back and forth though. That sounds like a problem they will work out.

5*Mom

Tue, Jun 30 2015, 2:59 am

This is worrisome. Was there another adult on the bus or just the driver?

There had to have been other children on the bus as well. Find out who they were. Be in touch with other parents.

Casually ask your son what he was doing on the bus that whole time. As in, "Wow, that was an unexpectedly long bus ride. What did you do for that long until the bus brought you home?" Listen carefully.

If everything checks out and it really was a new-route problem, no, I definitely would not send him back on the bus at least until the kinks are worked out.

imaima

Tue, Jun 30 2015, 3:05 am

5*Mom wrote:

I agree. All the parents from yesterday's ride should unite. If there were enough families, could you boycott the camp and demand your money back? Would that make them shape up?