In Los Angeles, the fine for truancy is $250; in Dallas, it can be as much as $500 — crushing amounts for people living near the poverty level. According to the Los Angeles Bus Riders Union, an advocacy group, 12,000 students were ticketed for truancy in 2008.
Why does the Bus Riders Union care? Because it estimates that 80 percent of the “truants,” especially those who are black or Latino, are merely late for school, thanks to the way that over-filled buses whiz by them without stopping. I met people in Los Angeles who told me they keep their children home if there’s the slightest chance of their being late. It’s an ingenious anti-truancy policy that discourages parents from sending their youngsters to school.
"thanks to the way that over-filled buses whiz by them without stopping."
This is not uncommon here in Pittsburgh, either, and I'm sure plays no small part in people's decisions whether to drive their own car vs. use public transit. If you can't even schedule your day because you don't know if the bus driver will actually stop for you and there can be an hour wait for the next bus, public transit is not a viable option. Or if it's the last bus that whizzes past you, do you go back into your office and sleep under your desk, or what?
In Japan, of course, they just forcibly push everyone onto the train, which is a better solution than not letting people get on, in my opinion.
Why does the Bus Riders Union care? Because it estimates that 80 percent of the “truants,” especially those who are black or Latino, are merely late for school, thanks to the way that over-filled buses whiz by them without stopping. I met people in Los Angeles who told me they keep their children home if there’s the slightest chance of their being late. It’s an ingenious anti-truancy policy that discourages parents from sending their youngsters to school.