On January 14th, 2021, students and families were informed that the beloved bus company, Vallo Transportation, would be shutting down all further school bus operations. Although this may come as no surprise to some, it nonetheless has been a devastating loss to the Bronx Science community.

The ongoing Coronavirus pandemic has hit many businesses hard over the past year, especially bus companies, many of which have gone out of service due to the intermittent shutdowns of New York City schools from March 2020 to today (as of Monday, March 23rd, 2021 all New York City public schools will be open for in-person learning for students who chose the blended learning option). However, with the possibility of in-person learning resuming in September 2021, especially as vaccination rates accelerate, the loss of Vallo has been a difficult one for the Bronx Science community. Hundreds of students relied on Vallo to get to and from school, and without this service, the commute on public transportation to school will take longer.

Angel Prabakar ’22, who lives in the Glen Oaks section of Queens (its easternmost portion), noted that her daily trip to school would become much more difficult without Vallo.

Some of Bronx Science student’s fondest memories are from riding Vallo buses after school with their friends over the last few years, pre-pandemic. After long gymnastics practices, I remember talking while eating snacks with my friends, slowly nodding off one by one, until we reached our stops. I also recall during my ninth grade year, after my friends and I had just finished our last midyear exam and we were so relieved, that we spent the entire Vallo ride home playing card and fantasy games, carefully balancing everything on our laps.

It is sad thinking about how some students may never have this experience in the future. 

We may hope that another bus company will fill the hole that Vallo’s absence has left, or better yet, that maybe Vallo itself will return in a new form after the pandemic has passed and bus service may resume again safely. Over the years, Vallo has truly mastered the art of student transportation. They had figured out the most efficient routes to get us home every day. 

We may hope that another bus company will fill the hole that Vallo’s absence has left, or better yet, that maybe Vallo itself will return in a new form after the pandemic has passed and bus service may resume again safely.