Overview
- Bus companies have told the state they could lay off about 12,000 workers and halt service starting Monday, Nov. 3 unless they secure a multi‑year extension.
- The education department has offered another emergency extension for November and December, and some vendors have signed on while the Panel for Educational Policy plans a retroactive vote next month.
- City leaders rolled out a contingency plan that includes free OMNY cards for students and caregivers and targeted prepaid rideshare or reimbursements for students with disabilities, those in shelters or foster care, and others with approved needs.
- Companies say short‑term extensions are financially unworkable and claim a five‑year deal was negotiated with City Hall, a point PEP leadership disputes as it presses for stronger accountability and possibly shorter extensions.
- The dispute hinges on whether to extend legacy contracts that preserve an Employee Protection Provision restricted by a 2011 court ruling or to rebid the system, with roughly 150,000 students—68,000 with heightened needs—at risk of disruption.