VIDEO: Elorza Has No Transportation Plan for Students as School Bus Drivers are Poised to Strike

GoLocalProv News Team

VIDEO: Elorza Has No Transportation Plan for Students as School Bus Drivers are Poised to Strike

Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza
At a hastily called press conference, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza offered no plan for parents as to how their children or thousands of other Providence school children will be transported to and from Providence schools if, as presently planned, Providence School bus drivers strike.

Despite having known for months that there was a real chance that the Teamsters Local 251 would strike against the city’s bus company — First Student— Elorza told reporters that the City of Providence will be offering no replacement form of transportation.

He said that his administration reached out to ridesharing companies like Lyft and Uber as well as to RIPTA, but none have an interest or capacity to provide replacement transportation services during the strike.

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Elorza said the Providence Police and bus monitors will be called in to assist, but could not outline how more than 10,000 students could be moved safely to and from school. Some families live as much as 20 minutes or more to drive from their schools.

Joining Elorza was Police Chief Hugh Clements and School Superintendent Christopher Maher and neither of them offered any solution. Both said Providence Police and the School Department would do everything to keep children safe, but provided no specifics.

Moreover, City officials offered no transportation plan for special needs students.

This story was first published 9/21/18 12:52 PM.


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