'Continued Failures:' Buses Broke Down In Subzero Temps, D41 Superintendent Tells Parents

GLEN ELLYN, IL — A number of buses broke down, and routes were late amid subzero temps Tuesday morning, District 41 Superintendent Dr. Jeff McHugh wrote in an open letter to parents. McHugh said he was "deeply frustrated by the continued failures" of Safeway, the district's transportation provider.

According to McHugh, several preventive steps were taken to prevent buses from breaking down. These included starting the school buses at 4 a.m., performing mechanical checks and replacing fuel filters and running buses Monday when school was out of session.

"Despite taking these steps, buses still broke down as they left the depot this morning, and many routes were late," McHugh wrote.

District 41 has addressed student transportation issues with Safeway since the school year began. In October, Patch received reports via email of buses arriving late to pick up District 41 students and dropping them off in areas with which the students were not familiar.

In November, Safeway made a "Here Comes the Bus" app available to students and their families.

According to district documents, Safeway provides bus services for both District 41 and Glenbard District 87 via an intergovernmental agreement. The agreement from January 2024 states, "Based on a financial analysis of bids provided in the RFP by First Student and Safeway, it is evident that the lowest cost option is to enter into an agreement with Safeway. By entering into an IGA, D41 would be able to realize the lowest overall cost for the two districts."

First Student is another bus company.

The document states, "The value of the IGA is best illustrated by considering that over the five-year term D87 would agree to pay D41 $1,673,849 and still save $1,094,276 over the First Student proposal."

It continues, "Without a cost-sharing agreement, over the five-year contract, D41 would pay approximately $1,673,849 more with Safeway as compared with First Student."

At least one District 41 parent told Patch that the agreement has left children waiting for buses to pick them up after picking up District 87 students.

Safeway was previously under scrutiny in Summit Hill District 161 in Mokena at the start of the school year, with parents complaining of shifted bus stops, poor communication and even kindergarten students left stranded.

In McHugh's letter Wednesday, he hinted at earlier problems with Safeway's service and communication, writing, "While there were some signs of progress before winter break, the recent return to delayed routes and poor communication is unacceptable."

According to McHugh, District 41 is "actively pursuing more aggressive solutions."

He wrote, "We are in communication with our legal counsel and will be engaging other providers who could possibly meet our transportation needs."

Safeway did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment Wednesday evening.