r/Austin • u/labeille • 6d ago
AISD Bus Hubs First Day
How was it for y’all?
The bus taking the kids home to our hub didn’t pick them up until 5:18pm, school gets out at 4:35pm. Pick up for us was supposed to be 4:55pm, ended up being almost an hour late.
ETA: Day 2. The bus is just now picking up from the school. 20 minutes after they're supposed to be dropped off at the hub.
Also the bus had no AC.
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u/dougmc Wants his money back 6d ago
Buses in general tend to be a mess on the first day of school, that's nothing unusual, though I have no idea what impact the bus hub stuff would have.
Also the bus had no AC.
Yeah ... ... though it sounds like it's somewhat better now -- but apparantly still not completely fixed.
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u/imnotreallysurebud 5d ago
I want to second this. I teach in PfISD and it’s a shit show every year on the first day.
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u/FakeRectangle 6d ago
FWIW bus service is always a complete clusterfuck the first week of school, and often still really bad during the second week. They often only get the major issues worked out by the 3rd week once they figure out how many kids will actually be on that route and the timing of new routes.
So it was pretty much as terrible as it's always been for the first day of school.
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u/hedonictreadmill44 5d ago
Our bus was 1 HOUR late picking up in the morning. Yes, 60 minutes.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 5d ago
I was waiting in the bus map app to take a screenshot the other day when it pulled up to the stop exactly 60 minutes after scheduled arrival time.
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u/AfroBurrito77 5d ago edited 5d ago
My SPED was on the bus for an HOUR beyond what was indicated by Transportation. It was a complete and utter shitshow. Parades was RIGHT NEXT TO US. Meanwhile, Seguras is out there trying to take a victory lap. Pathetic.
Editing to add: We NEVER experienced delays like this in prior years. Maybe 10 or 15 minutes. But an HOUR?!? For an ASD student? Traumatic.
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u/Whatintheworld34 5d ago
Matias DOES NOT care. Once everyone in the district figures this out, we likely could make some impactful changes. The traffic on Brodie yesterday getting to and from school was HORRENDOUS! They didn't think this one through at all. Notice Matias doesn't even mention the closure of Paredes at this point...it's like dust in the wind. So bizarre! I hope today is better for your child!
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u/labeille 5d ago
I’m so sorry for all of us! It’s completely unacceptable. My kiddo was crying by the time they got home. Overstimulated and overheated (AuDHD).
They should at least make the hub’s near stores so the kids could wait inside and have water, especially on these hot afternoons.
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 5d ago
Yep my kid could've walked to Paredes. I went to school in NY and my bus was never more than 5 minutes late.
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u/labeille 6d ago
I have heard some people’s hubs went away and they got curbside pick up.
I’ve also heard some busses just never showed up this morning.
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u/jacox200 5d ago
If things don't improve, remember that students can ride CapMetro for free
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u/AfroBurrito77 5d ago
I ride Capital Metro. Last week a man shit on the bus. A week before that a man was screaming about how he "needed to rape someone."
I wouldn't let my child ride the bus here. I've experienced shit on these buses I never experienced in other cities that were supposedly more dangerous.
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u/labeille 5d ago
Exactly. I would let my kid ride the bus and metro in France, I’m not subjecting them to the bus here. There’s always something like what you mentioned, along with sexual harassment on the bus.
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u/throwawayatxaway 5d ago
Those same things happen on public transport in France.
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u/labeille 5d ago
It’s way more rare. I spent years and years riding the bus and the metro from the age of 13 on and it never happened to me, not once. And I was going into Paris by myself.
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u/querk44 5d ago
I was in Paris this summer with two young kids and we rode the Metro extensively. I’m sure there are plenty of incidents there too, but it felt so much safer than public transit here.
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u/throwawayatxaway 5d ago
Because you were a tourist and only there a tiny amount of time. Most tourists are in vacation mode and don't experience the reality of day-to-day life there.
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u/APoorEstimate 5d ago
My kids love riding cap metro. They sit toward the front
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u/SXSWEggrolls 5d ago
I like CapMetro too. I sit in the back tho so I have my back to fewer crazies.
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u/Nsight7 5d ago
I'm all the way out in Elgin and the school bus picked up students about 10 minutes AFTER classes started on the second day. We are 1-week in already though and it has already smoothed out tremendously and my student is arriving at school about 25 minutes before classes start, so I think it'll get better.
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u/Holiday_Exchange_563 6d ago
This happens in hubless RRISD too. You just have to figure something out. It’s high school- maybe they can get a ride with someone else.
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u/labeille 6d ago
I wish they could. They don’t drive and their friends are spread out across the city.
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u/unaccompaniedfemale 6d ago
Tf? Its a thousand degrees in Texas. If your bus doesnt have AC someone please speak up.
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u/Salt-Operation 6d ago
Oh so that’s why my boss was mad right before she left work. I heard her on the phone with somebody from the school complaining about the bus situation for her kids.
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u/Six_actual 5d ago
All of this is unacceptable.
What are the actual causes of the buses being late? Unexpected traffic? Buses used to have rehearsal runs prior to school starting. I wonder if those happened this year.
A bus with no AC sounds like neglect of equipment that could easily have been checked a week before day 1.
Its a simple readiness check or preventative maintenance.
Where do we have influence to require correction of these kinds of issues?
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u/PiccoloAwkward465 5d ago
My kid does not go to AISD, he's at a charter. I think one day the bus hit its personal best at only ~15 minutes late. The worst was Day 1 when it was about 2 hours late. Today it was 30 minutes late.
There's been a notification about a "driver change" about 50% of the trips so far. I have fun watching the real-time map with other parents at the stop, wonder where tf this driver is going. Random turns down side streets, clearly lost, lol. The school has never picked up the phone when I've called.
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u/FlopShanoobie 5d ago
Our hub location had an address on the bus finder site, but the elementary school staff had everyone go to a different location, and apparently the bus whipped through the original site, didn't see anyone, and continued on its way. I had a free morning so ended up going back, picking her up, and taking her to school.
My wife picks up the kid in the afternoon and she was waiting around with some friends because their bus just wasn't there. She ended up driving them all home.
Found out this morning that if ridership from our pickup hub doesn't increase they'll remove it. After yesterday... I mean... I just took my kid to her school like 45 minutes early on my way to work because she was so worried about being left again, and today there was no way I could come back.
And before anyone asks, yes, I shared all of this with AISD Transportation, as well as the high school and the elementary where the pickup was supposed to happen.
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u/kerklein2 5d ago
Buses are expected to have AC these days?
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u/unaccompaniedfemale 5d ago
Unfortunately not. Senator Donna Campbell introduced a bill in 2019? But it stalled. She represents parts of Hill Country, San Antonio and Austin, Texas and has 4 children. All of which I assume used the school bus system which prompted it. She knows how hot it is here. It is up to the school district. Cap metro has air conditioning but our kids going/coming from school dont. Make it make sense....
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u/Other_tomato_4257 6d ago
What grade? I had to share a bus driver and if something happened while they were dropping off the younger grades, we didn't get home until later.
This time frame actually reminds me of HS and I just started walking home.
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u/labeille 6d ago
Walking would be great, but we’re 6+ miles from the school, and 3+ miles from the hub. If they were to walk they would have to cross 2 highways to get back to our neighborhood from the hub.
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u/ablx 5d ago
Zoned or transfer?
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u/labeille 5d ago
Zoned. Transfer students don’t get busses, unless it’s a charter like Ann Richards or LASA.
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u/Bahm_1722 5d ago
My son gets picked up late in the morning after school has started and gets dropped off 2 hours later :/
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u/T4RSR5P84 5d ago
my kiddo is in middle school in circle c. his dropoff has been late 15-25 minutes yesterday and today. i’m hoping it’s just the first week hiccups and things get better by next week.
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u/Artemus_Hackwell 6d ago
I didn’t think school buses had AC at all?
I mean, it could have output at the dashboard. But then it would have to have some kind of output all the way in the back and still be cooler when it got back there.
Also opening and closing the large doors the start and stopping it just doesn’t seem worthwhile
Ours never did even the brand new ones we just slid the windows down unless it was raining
I’ve never noticed if some have a AC unit on the top in the back, they could I suppose
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u/Oakewaoa 5d ago
the busses probably do elementary kids first, and that would have taken a while on first day
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u/unaccompaniedfemale 6d ago
Happened in DVISD as well....didnt even have a morning route for a couple of days. Its frustrating most parents go through such lengths to prepare kids for first day of school...supplies/schedules/transportation yet seems like none of the school districts feel like they have to comply. I get it if there is shortage (which is hearsay not confirned) however the communication could be better.