In the face of skyrocketing gas and diesel-fuel prices, city bus contractors are asking the Department of Education to cut or eliminate field trips from public and nonpublic schools – beginning today.
“We’re asking the department to work with us in an attempt to curtail unnecessary expenditures of fuel,” said Peter Silverman, an attorney for a coalition of school-bus contractors.
“We’re asking them to start that immediately.”
The contractors told The Post that a 70 percent jump in fuel prices since the most recent busing contract was signed in 2005 has the potential to drive smaller bus companies out of business and strand schoolkids.
But education officials said yesterday that they expect the bus companies to abide by their contract.
The companies have argued that, unlike airlines or other commercial transportation firms, they are unable to pass along any of the supplemental costs to their customers.
And that, Silverman said, has translated into unexpected fees totaling more than $20 million over the last two years, with no chance to amend the current busing contract until 2010.