NEW YORK, NY February 01, 2007 —Education Department officials say they regret any inconvenience to parents, caused by this week's change in bus routes. Thousands of parents have called the 311 line since Monday complaining about students being stranded or having to take mass transit.

REPORTER: Deputy Mayor Dennis Wallcot said officials are working to fix any errors. He said parents should continue calling with any problems; but he said the city is saving $12 million by cutting buses in cases where children really are not eligible.

WALCOTT: Would we have liked to make sure that the system worked a lot smoother this week? Of course. Would we want the children to be on the buses to get to the schools in a quicker period of time, sure. But he same time you do not ignore any dollar you can redirect to the classrooms.

REPORTER: Meanwhile, City Comptroller Bill Thompson is questioning whether those savings are worth the cost of the $17 million consultant who worked on the busing plan. He also criticized the city for selecting the consultant without any competitive bidding.