When the Bus Doesn’t Show Up: Transportation and Attendance in Buffalo Public Schools

When we talk about attendance in schools, the conversation usually goes to student motivation, family involvement, or whether students feel connected to their classes. Those things matter, of course, but after a recent conversation with a colleague, I found myself coming back to something more basic. Sometimes kids simply cannot make it to school because the systems that are supposed to get them there are not reliable.

In Buffalo Public Schools, that reality shows up every single morning, and it has only gotten harder since COVID.

It is not about pointing fingers. It is about understanding a barrier that we actually have the ability to fix.

The Two Transportation Systems in BPS

Families in Buffalo know this well. Younger students ride yellow buses through First Student. High school students use NFTA Metro buses with student passes. These two setups might share the same goal, but they operate very differently.

For the younger kids, the yellow buses depend entirely on First Student having enough drivers to run all the routes. Since the 2021 school year, the district has openly talked about being short more than a hundred drivers. Routes were reorganized, schedules changed, and families started noticing buses that arrived very late or did not show up at all. There are parents who have talked about morning pickups scheduled for 7:45 that arrived closer to 9:15. A child who misses that much time before even setting foot inside the building is already playing catch-up.

High schoolers have a different challenge. They rely on the NFTA, and that system has had its own cuts and staffing setbacks since the pandemic. A route that used to be predictable suddenly comes less often. A bus that used to be empty enough to board comfortably in the morning now fills up by the time it reaches a student’s stop.

Which brings me to another issue that does not get talked about enough.

When Students Do Everything Right and Still End Up Late

A lot of students leave their houses early and show up at the bus stop on time. Sometimes even a little early. They do what we ask of them. But if the bus that pulls up already has no room left, they are stuck. The next one might also be full. Sometimes they watch two or three buses pass before they finally get a spot.

Anyone who has ridden Metro during busy hours knows this is not an exaggeration.

By the time a student finally boards, they are already late for school. And this can happen multiple times a week. When lateness becomes something that feels completely out of their control, it wears them down. Some start coming later because they assume the first bus will be full. Some simply stop trying as hard. Not because they don’t care, but because the system feels stacked against them.

It is hard to blame them for feeling that way.

When Families Become the Backup Bus System

Because of all these problems, many families in Buffalo have taken transportation into their own hands. In my family, either my wife or my in-laws drive our three daughters to North Park every morning. That is not something everyone can do, and I know we are lucky to have that support.

Not all families have flexible work schedules. Not all have a reliable car. Not all can leave the house early enough to make a second trip if something goes wrong. And while some families have used Uber or Lyft in the past when buses failed to show, that is not something anyone can afford regularly.

When families feel they have to become the unofficial backup transportation system, it becomes clear that this is not just an attendance issue. It is a systems issue.

Does Transportation Explain Every Attendance Problem?

No. Attendance is complicated. Students deal with health issues, mental health struggles, family responsibilities, school climate concerns, and all kinds of outside pressures. Those things matter deeply.

But transportation is different because it is something we can improve in a real, concrete way. It is also one of the most consistent barriers many students face, especially the ones with the fewest resources.

Improving transportation will not magically fix chronic absenteeism, but it will remove one of the biggest daily obstacles that stands between students and the classroom.

Moving Forward

If Buffalo wants to improve attendance, it is worth looking at what happens every morning at bus stops across the city. Routes can be reviewed. Schedules can be adjusted. Coordination between the district, First Student, and the NFTA can be strengthened. Students and parents can be asked directly about which routes routinely leave them stranded or late.

These are changes that do not require a brand-new program or a huge philosophical shift. They just require recognizing that attendance is partly about access, and that access depends on buses showing up at the right time with enough room for the kids who need them.

Closing Thoughts

For a long time, the conversation around attendance has centered on student choices. But the more I listen to students and families, the more I realize how many of those “choices” are shaped by the conditions around them. When buses are late, overcrowded, inconsistent, or missing, it becomes much harder for students to do the very thing we ask of them every day.

If we want to improve attendance, we need to look at what is actually happening at the curb.

Because showing up is important.

And in Buffalo, that often depends on whether the bus does too.