Ocean State Transit runs the school bus service that my daughter uses to get to school. For a route (from Cranston to Pawtucket, RI) that generally used to take the prior bus one hour, this bus can take anywhere from 2-3 hours on any given day. Today, for instance, the bus #1113 was over two hours late. Frequently, this is because they have a completely new driver assigned for that day. Additionally, the bus has a tendency to show up early and drive off, or not show at all. The driver actually lies about the time that they reach a bus stop.
My daughter was verbally abused by another kid on the bus. When we complained to the branch manager (a certain Ms. Lillian Benoit), she merely said that she would pass along the complaint to a higher authority. There was no mention of follow-up, neither were there any efforts to assure us that my daughter would be safe on this bus. The least I had expected was that the other kid would be made to change buses.
The previous bus service (operated by a different bus company) was fine. Since we were made to switch to this bus company, every day has been an adventure (and not the pleasant kind!). If anyone in the RI government is listening, PLEASE take action against this bus company. read more