About those mythical 2000 schoolbuses - a question

[zbdent]

Was the driving of school buses in NO privatized?

In many places, the drivers working for private companies, aren't they? Since schools have to cut costs (because of lack of funding), quite a number have turned to private firms for finding drivers, I believe.

I know, I know. There were only a max of MAYBE 300 usable buses in that "flooded parking lot". That's why I said "mythical 2000 schoolbuses" . . .

[KyndCulture]

1. I heard about those buses...

School was not in session yet, the buses had not had maintenence done on them, a number of them were undrivable and the drivers had not all been hired yet.

[wtbymark]

2. 2000 is a BS number

no more than 400 and only 260 thought to be working, no drivers found either.

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

3. It was all a misunderstanding

Washington thought they had requested a Y2K bus, so they sent one that had been had not yet had the Y2K bug fixed.

DBDB

[mcscajun]

4. More about the buses...

http://mediamatters.org/items/200509120005

http://www.snopes.com/katrina/photos/buses.asp

[zbdent]

5. My question still stands unanswered - was the driving of school buses

during the school years PRIVATIZED????

I know that the number 2000 was BOGUS.

What I really wanted to know was whether the driving was contracted out to people who had left the area. I know that I would probably have evacuated if I was in the low-lying areas if I had the means.

[AnnInLa]

6. No, I don't think so

I know that the parishes around here do not have privatized school bus drivers. I can't say 100%, but I have not heard of any parishes in all of Louisiana where the bus driving was contracted. The bus drivers usually are rather lowly-paid, undeducated people who work directly for the school boards. In our parish, about half of the bus drivers own their own buses and contract themselves and their buses out to the school board, and the other half of the buses are owned by the school board and people are hired to drive them.

this thread talks about the buses and their use and was very interesting:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1788866