School bus rides rules corrected

Some New York City kiddies who live more than half-mile of their school can hop on the yellow bus, school officials said in a correction from their previously presented policy.
Beginning this school semester, parents of kids in kindergarten, first- and second-grades can fill out an application for the free bus to pick them up.
The change will only affect kids who live more than a half-mile from school - kids who would traditionally get full-fare MetroCards - and whose school already has yellow bus service. Kids who live less than a half-mile and more than a quarter-mile from school have continued to receive half-fare MetroCards, and children who live less than a quarter-mile do not receive any funded transportation.
In a Queens Courier article published Thursday, August 30, education officials at the DOE proclaimed that K-2 kids who live less than half-mile from school would get bus service if their parents requested it and the service was already in place at their school.
That information was incorrect, said DOE spokesperson Margie Feinberg.
In addition to the other change, the quarter-mile rule, which prevented children who live a quarter-mile from the reorganized bus stops from getting service, was scrapped.
Feinberg said that kids who live more than a quarter-mile from stops would not be prevented from finding transportation to the stops and getting on the buses.
Feinberg added that parents should call 3-1-1 with questions about the school bus service and recent changes.