TINTON FALLS, NJ - Senator Vin Gopal, Assemblywoman Margie Donlon and Assemblywoman Luanne Peterpaul, D-Monmouth, have requested the state Department of Education investigate the sudden cancellation of bus service by a private company providing transportation to Neptune Township and Monmouth County Vocational schools.

In the Sept. 10 letter, Gopal, Donlon and Peterpaul asked the Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer to investigate the Seman-Tov Bus Company’s abrupt discontinuation of service to the schools. 

“We are writing to respectfully urge the Office of School Bus Safety to launch an inquiry into the Seman-Tov Bus Company’s abrupt discontinuation of service this week. Late yesterday, the company alerted the Neptune Township School District that it would not be providing morning or afternoon transportation services, leaving families in the district scrambling to arrange transportation,” the Monmouth County legislators wrote.

“The sudden cancellation of service this early in the school year is extremely concerning. Working families rely on this busing and it is therefore critical that the service is reliable. We respectfully request that the Office of School Bus Safety investigate Seman-Tov’s failure to deliver contracted services this week, and take whatever steps necessary to ensure both accountability and safe and reliable transportation for this district.”

According to the Asbury Park Press and other news reports, Neptune Schools Superintendent Tami Crader said she received a letter Tuesday morning from the Seman-Tov Bus Company informing the school district it could not provide its 54-passenger bus transportation for 35 school routes at dismissal Monday. The letter from Seman-Tov Bus Company, the vendor under contract to provide bus service to the school district, because it is "dealing with an unanticipated insurance issue."

The Neptune School District is trying to find alternative transportation vendors as quickly as possible. 

"This has created a terrible inconvenience for our families. I will be communicating an update to our families later today," the Schools Superintendent said.

The Monmouth County Vocational School District operates eight vocational schools with a combined enrollment of 1,560 students, according to the district’s website. It could be immediately determined how many of the students rely on the Seman-Tov Bus Company to get to school.

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