Daily News | Close to 150,000 New York City students could lose school bus service next month if operators follow through on a threat to yank drivers off the job over a bitter contract impasse, according to a formal warning filed Monday.

The private school bus companies notified the state Labor Department that, if a citywide education panel does not approve their contract extension, they would be forced to lay off 12,000 unionized drivers and attendants at the end of the business day on Oct. 31.

The dustup comes against the backdrop of parents and advocates pushing for greater accountability. At issue are longstanding concerns over the city’s $1.9 billion school transportation system, which relies on a Byzantine network of contracted bus operators to shuttle students — many of whom have disabilities or are living in homeless shelters — to and from school.

At the start of each school year, families overwhelm the school transportation office’s call center with reports of bus delays and no-shows. Some students have been forced to miss school, or are excluded from after-school or summer programming after the buses stop running for the day.

“We hear from hundreds of families every year,” said Randi Levine, the policy director at Advocates for Children of New York.

It’s a problem that affects working parents especially hard, if they’re forced to pick up or drop off their kids: “We hear from families who are scrambling to keep their jobs because of inconsistent bus service,” Levine said.