Santa Clarita Schools : Bus Service Praised--and Warned

Santa Clarita school officials say Laidlaw Transit has improved school bus service since two school districts threatened to sever contracts with the company 2 weeks ago.

Trustees of the William S. Hart Union High School District, pleased with Laidlaw’s progress, voted Tuesday night to allow the company to continue busing the district’s schoolchildren. “But, be advised, that position can change,” Supt. Clyde Smyth warned Laidlaw officials.

Smyth added that the district could drop Laidlaw after an independent consultant completes an audit, probably in the spring, of the company’s operations in the Hart district and in the Newhall School District. The two districts together pay Laidlaw more than $1 million a year to bus 3,600 Santa Clarita schoolchildren.

Complaints From Parents

Since the start of school in September, district officials and parents have complained that Laidlaw buses are frequently late and that drivers are inexperienced and unfamiliar with their routes. The company has failed to pick up students along entire bus routes on some occasions, said James Bown, the district’s director of support services.

The California Highway Patrol and state Department of Education are investigating allegations by former Laidlaw employees that company driving instructors falsified training records. That investigation could be completed as early as next week, CHP Officer Ralph Elvira said Wednesday.

Dave Daley, a Laidlaw vice president, blamed most of the company’s problems on a shortage of bus drivers familiar with the Santa Clarita Valley. Drivers brought in from other areas sometimes arrived late or did not show up at all for pickups, he said.

To combat the problem, Laidlaw is housing about 12 substitute drivers at a Santa Clarita motel, Daley said.

‘Reputation at Stake’

Daley said Laidlaw would not bill the districts for the motel costs. “Cost is not the issue,” he said. “This is our company’s reputation at stake.”

Housing substitute drivers in Santa Clarita has improved service somewhat, Bown said. More buses are running on time and drivers are more familiar with the area, he said.

Despite the improvements, Smyth said, the district will continue to compile daily reports on Laidlaw’s performance. Smyth, who sternly scolded Laidlaw officials at the last trustee meeting Nov. 8, said he resented that Hart officials have to oversee Laidlaw, the nation’s largest school bus company.

The independent audit, Smyth added, will cost the districts $30,000, which could have been spent in the classroom. “That I also resent,” he said.