Burlington Special Education Parents Want Cameras On Buses

BURLINGTON, MA — A group representing parents of special education students wants Burlington Public School buses and set up a clear process for documenting complaints against Trombly Motor Coach Service Inc. and its drivers. The Burlington Special Education Parent Advisory Council sent a letter to the school committee Thursday, two days after the board voted to accept Trombly's bid over longtime bus service provider A&F Bus Co. of Billerica.

The council's letter reiterates many of the concerns that were raised at Tuesday's meeting, when the committee vote 3-0 with two members present to award a five-year contract to Trombly. Trombly's bid of $2.1 million per year will save the district $1 million over the course of the five-year contract, but parents raised concerns about the company's safety record.

A copy of the council's letter was posted on the group's Facebook page:

The committee was forced to reopen its bid review on the contract, which had been awarded to A&F Bus Co. Inc. for $2.3 million in May, after a complaint on how the bidding process was handled was filed with the Massachusetts Inspector General. The Inspector General's office ruled that a consultant the school district had hired in January to review the contract erred when the request for bids was posted, nullifying the contract awarded in May.

The school district's attorney, Darren Klein, did not rule out the possibility that the losing bidder would file a lawsuit, saying the district had received letters from attorneys for both companies. Last week, Trombly owner John J. McCarthy told Burlington Patch he would sue the school district if his firm was not awarded the contract. McCarthy also owns NRT Bus Inc., which has been targeted with complaints by parents in other school districts.

McCarthy said last week his company has addressed high-profile incidents in recent years by putting new protocols and safety equipment in place on its equipment. In 2014, for example, Trombly fired a bus driver and monitor after overlooking a 3 1/2-year-old autistic boy on the bus in Methuen. The incident prompted an upgrade of safety equipment on all 280 of Trombly's vehicles, which are also equipped with GPS monitoring devices.