Seattle Schools May End Bus Contract

The Seattle School District will consider ending its contract with Laidlaw Transit Inc. if the company and striking school bus drivers don’t reach a settlement soon, Superintendent William Kendrick warned Wednesday.

“If regular service is not restored promptly, the district will have to begin taking steps to greatly reduce or eliminate Laidlaw’s role in providing district transportation service in the future,” Kendrick said in a letter to Laidlaw and Teamsters International Local 763.

The union represents about 300 Laidlaw drivers who have been striking since March 7.

Kendrick said the company and the union both would lose if the district opts for another transit company or reduces Laidlaw’s role.

“To that end, the district wants to make it very clear that we expect both parties to reach closure on this issue and return service to our students immediately,” he wrote.

Laidlaw’s five-year contract with the district is subject to annual renewal, opening the possibility that the school board could terminate Laidlaw next month, effective next fall.