Richmond mother upset her son's school bus was a no show: 'This is unacceptable'

RICHMOND, Va – Several Richmond Public Schools (RPS) buses were delayed Monday due to a driver shortage caused by sickness, which is expected to last for at least a couple more days.

Juana Murphy said her son waited for two hours Monday morning for his bus to arrive to take him to Albert Hill Middle School, but it never showed.

“This morning, we received a text message saying that there will be a 20-minute delay. After 20 minutes, there was still no bus," Murphy said. “It’s no reason that my son should have to be almost two hours late to school, and this is not my fault at all.”

RPS sent a brief alert to families Sunday night saying several buses serving Northside area schools would be delayed Monday due to "staff illness and shortage."

On Monday morning, RPS told parents that 14 buses were impacted, and delays would not surpass 20 minutes.

Murphy said after her son's bus was a no-show, she was told by an employee in the transportation division that an RPS van would take him to school. However, she said the van did not arrive either.

The working mom, who was on the clock at the time, said she called her mother to take her child to school.

“Richmond Public Schools Transportation, you all need to get it together. This is unacceptable," Murphy said.

School board member Kenya Gibson, who represents Northside schools, said the district faces a handful of vacancies and Monday's shortage highlights the need for a backup plan.

“We’re lean when it comes to transportation, and I have asked the administration what those contingency plans look like and haven't received an update yet," Gibson said. "But I believe that we pretty much staff the exact number of drivers that we need, and so I don't think there's a lot of wiggle room.”

RPS spokesperson Alyssa Schwenk said she could not accommodate interviews Monday and did not answer CBS 6's question about the district's contingency plan to cover the current temporary shortage of drivers.

Schwenk said she could confirm Monday's situation was not due to a sick-out.

Gibson said she initially questioned whether the shortage represented a strike over negotiations between bus drivers and RPS regarding their pay but that the administration said there was no indication of that.

Watch: Richmond School Board considers changes to bus driver overtime

A recent audit suggested drivers were being paid unjustified overtime pay for hours not actually worked, but it has been disputed by some school board members including Gibson as well as the union representing transportation workers.

As CBS 6 previously reported, the union declared an impasse because it and RPS could come to an agreement on addressing the overtime matter.

Keon Shim, a union representative, told CBS 6 those negotiations remain ongoing.

“The fact that we do not have signed contracts with our drivers is a problem," Gibson said. “The information hasn't been complete, and at the end of the day, we can't spare one. We need to have all of our drivers here to ensure that we're getting our kids to school on time.”

Watch: Impasse declared as Richmond school bus drivers, RPS cannot agree on overtime

Schwenk said she expected bus delays to continue for two to three days. Routes home in the afternoon will also be impacted, and she said the district will communicate with parents.

Murphy said she's hoping for a swift resolution.

“I am very worried about the rest of the week. What do I have to tell my job? 'Hey, my son's bus is not coming on time?'" Murphy said. “It’s a lot to worry about, and it makes me very, very angry."

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