Yorktown Schools Left Without Buses as Baumann Closes
The Yorktown School District will be searching for a new bus company to transport its 3,480 students after Baumann & Sons Buses, Inc. announced last week it was going out of business.
In an April 28 letter to employees, Ron Baumann, president of the company, which primarily served school districts in Long Island but has provided Yorktown’s transportation for decades, attributed the company’s decision to throw in the towel to some districts not fulfilling their transportation contracts during the coronavirus pandemic.
“For weeks, the company has made every effort to compel the full payment of all Transportation Contracts as was required by the federal stimulus programs and we have notified each of our customers of their breach of our Transportation Contracts,” Baumann stated. “Despite these efforts, we have been unable to secure sufficient payments to continue our operations.”
Baumann employed about 115 drivers, aides and mechanics at its Yorktown site. On March 20, Baumann laid off its employees due to a “lack of income coming in from our customers,” but added, “We are optimistic and look forward to recalling everyone from layoff when this crisis passes.”
The employees affected were eligible for unemployment benefits, but more concerning to 17 of the workers was the loss of medical and dental benefits. Those benefits ended on April 30.
Prior to the shutdown, Baumann contributed about two-thirds of the cost of benefits for employees year-round, even in the summer months when drivers were compensated through unemployment. The employee’s portion was about $84 per week.
When asked about Baumann’s departure, Yorktown Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ronald Hattar responded with the following statement: “We are actively pursuing additional details regarding this situation. Our administrative team is fully engaged in this matter and working through formulating an optimal resolution for our district and students. While we deeply value the Baumann Bus Company drivers and staff, New York State law does not allow school districts to use public funds to pay third-party contractors for services that are not actually rendered, unless specifically provided for by contract.”
Dolores Naccari, a 33-year driver with Baumann in Yorktown and the union shop steward, said Saturday she wasn’t surprised Baumann closed.
“The writing was on the wall that something possibly was going to happen,” Naccari said. “It was just a gut feeling, the way everything happened so fast. I kept saying he’s up to something, and this just proves it.”
Naccari, who noted she was able to get Medicare Part B benefits, said she is hopeful another bus company will roll into Yorktown and take over where Baumann left off.
“It’s going to be interesting,” she said. “I’ve been driving for Yorktown for 33 years. I’m going to wait it out.”
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