QUINCY, ILL. -- It was a rough first day for the Transportation Department at the Quincy Public Schools Friday.
We've heard from viewers on Facebook that several children arrived home more than an hour after their drop off time.
KHQA's Melissa Shriver talked to Transportation Director Shane Barnes about the problems bus drivers encountered.
Friday morning bus drivers in Quincy were smiling after a seamless morning commute.
But that afternoon it was a different story.
Barnes said, "We had students get on their morning bus, they got on the first bus they saw or got on the bus with their friends. We had some miscommunications with the schools, and parents and drivers."
Barnes says there are always cases of children getting on the wrong bus on the first day of school every year. But this year there were more of them.
In fact there were around 20 instances of hiccups in the bus routes. In a few cases children arrived home more than an hour behind schedule...as buses had to cross the county to get children to their homes. Then there were the communication problems. Radios didn't work in some areas of the district...and some of the youngest children riding the wrong buses forgot their names and didn't know where they lived. Drivers had to track children's identities down based on their physical description. Barnes says those were some of the many reasons that led to the delays.
Though there were problems, Barnes says each year the bus drivers have work out the kinks in their routes. But he understands why parents would be concerned. He only asks for patience.
Barnes said, "We're taking steps to make sure it's better every single day."
All children got home safely.
Transportation Director Shane Barnes says student safety is their number one priority.
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