In their letter, Flynn and Murphy pushed the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to conduct a detailed probe of BPS transportation, including an evaluation of scheduling, routing, and operational practices.
The letter is the latest attempt by council members to apply pressure on Boston Public Schools to fix chronically late school buses. A day earlier, the council passed a motion to hold a hearing on the issue, which has not been scheduled. Several councilors shared concerns from parents about the hardship the busing problems were creating for them and their children.
Boston City Councilors Edward Flynn and Erin Murphy asked the state Thursday to investigate the late school bus crisis in Boston, as the district struggles to get students to and from school on time.
They also urged the board to develop an action plan for BPS to resolve the problems, clearly identifying specific steps to be taken and timelines to finish the work, and to regularly monitor BPS’s efforts.
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“Addressing these transportation issues is critical to supporting BPS’s broader educational goals and ensuring that all students have equitable access to the opportunities and supports they need to succeed,” the councilors wrote.
Boston school buses are notorious for running late, but this school year the problems have worsened as the district implemented a new GPS tracking app that was supposed to improve the efficiency and timeliness of buses. Buses now come equipped with a tablet affixed to the dashboard, enabling drivers to follow their routes electronically and to record each student who boards the bus.
But on the opening day of classes Sept. 5, two-thirds of the morning buses arrived late at school. Since then, the rates have increased, but not enough, as on-time performance has ranged from 61 percent on Sept. 6 to 55 percent on Thursday, according to the most recent data. Afternoon buses also are running late.
Superintendent Mary Skipper has attributed the problems to drivers adjusting to the new technology as well as an unusually high number of changes to bus routes after they were originally created. She expects the timeliness of buses will improve.
The poor showing falls woefully short of performance goals outlined in a two-year-old improvement plan between BPS and the state, which calls for 95 percent or more of buses arriving on time each month. BPS has consistently missed that benchmark over the duration of the plan, which expires next June.
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BPS entered the plan to avoid a state takeover of the district and it also calls for widespread improvements in several other areas, such as facilities, special education, and multilingual programs.
Flynn and Murphy repeatedly referenced the plan in their letter to the state as they implored officials to intervene.
“The recent transportation failures not only jeopardize the effective implementation of these priorities but also exacerbate existing challenges,” they wrote. “Delayed buses contribute to increased absenteeism, disrupt students’ learning experiences, and undermine the progress BPS aims to achieve.”
Officials for BPS and the state education board were not immediately available for comment.
James Vaznis can be reached at james.vaznis@globe.com. Follow him @globevaznis.