In what seems as a revealing moment for over 40,000 school students, the Department of Education (DOE) has announced it had found an alternative bus service to Yeshivah student who would be affected by the closing down of Atlantic Express Bus Company on December 31, 2013, YWN has learned.

All routes will be assigned to other bus companies.

Earlier this week, YWN reported that Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), Chair of both the New York City Education Subcommittee and the Children and Families Committee, is working with his colleagues, Assemblyman Dov Hikind and Councilman David Greenfield, to ensure a smooth transition for the more than 40,000 affected public and private school students. Atlantic Express, which declared bankruptcy in November, was responsible for over 1,600 bus routes, leaving children on those routes without a means of transportation as of January 2, 2014.

Councilman David Greenfield announced the deal Monday after getting assurances from the DOE that an alternative bus service would be put in place at the beginning of the year.

“I want to thank Senator Felder for working with me to make sure that yeshiva school bus service would not be interrupted,” Mr. Greenfield told YWN. “I also want to the thank the Department of Education, especially Eric Goldstein and Rabbi Moshe Ausfresser for working overtime to resolve these problems and ensure that all of our yeshiva children will get to school on time with yellow bus service.”

“I am delighted that the Department of Education and the Office of Pupil Transportation were able to head-off what could have been a disastrous nightmare for parents and children across New York City,” Senator Simcha Felder said in a statement. “This is an example of government at its finest, of what can be achieved when people work toward a common goal. I want to commend and thank Mr. Eric Goldstein and Rabbi Moshe Ausfresser of the Office of Pupil Transportation for putting the needs of New York City’s children first.”

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)