MPS student without accessible bus Friday despite assurances from district

It was another morning of waiting for MPS parent Deshaunte Smith and his son.

After two weeks of not having a wheelchair-accessible bus, the district said Friday would be the day Smith's son would be picked up. That was after Mariam Mackar started asking questions.

Then, on Friday morning, after 20 minutes of waiting, no bus came—so again, Smith had to drive his son to school without his motorized wheelchair.

"How did it feel to be standing there, again, with your son and not have a bus come?" Mackar asked.

"Every morning it’s just, like, instant anxiety," Smith said. "Like, is it gonna show up? Is it gonna come? Is it not?"

TMJ4 News

After the bus again didn’t arrive on Friday, TMJ4 stopped by MPS Central Offices to get to the bottom of what happened.

Their spokesperson told TMJ4 they could not come out and speak to our reporter but would send a statement.

That statement never came.

Watch: MPS student without accessible bus Friday despite assurances from district

MPS student without wheelchair accessible bus for two weeks despite assurances from district

However, on the phone with Mackar, the spokesperson said it was a mix-up on the part of the bus company that resulted in the missed route for Smith.

Mackar then called the bus company for clarification.

A representative with Lamers Bus Lines said they were asked to fill that route less than 24 hours earlier by MPS, which resulted in miscommunication.

"I think our driver was first notified of the route last evening," said Brown. "She had nothing in writing, and it wasn’t on her board this morning. She didn’t have any paperwork in front of her, which can happen on an emergency turnaround like this."

Because of the short notice, the driver was under the impression the route started on Monday.

When they realized the mistake, that driver came to pick up the wheelchair and drop it off at Smith's son's school.

"I was happy they showed up and got it to him," Smith said. "[My son] was pretty happy, too."

Smith says he's thankful for the bus company's quick action but feels the frustration comes from what he sees as a lack of urgency from the district.

"They're completely oblivious to what goes on. We already have enough to deal with, so to add on that extra burden of 'How is my son going to get to school?' causes a lot of stress," Smith told Mackar.

After a long two weeks of waiting for a bus that never came, on Friday afternoon, Smith was there when a bus with his son pulled up to drop him off at home.

And the smiles speak for themselves.

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