Gothamista | An agreement between city officials and school bus companies averts an immediate crisis for some of the 150,000 yellow bus riders, but it’s unclear if the deal will address notoriously poor service.

A coalition of the largest bus companies agreed Thursday to a 30- to 60-day temporary extension that maintains service. The Panel for Educational Policy, which is in charge of approving contracts, will consider a two- to three-year deal with tighter requirements at its next meeting in November.

The Panel for Educational Policy is a vestige of the old school board, with a majority of members appointed by the mayor. Critics have called it redundant and toothless. Randi Levine, policy director for Advocates for Children of New York, praised the panel’s independence, and its decision not to “rubber-stamp an agreement to extend the status quo for the rest of the decade when school bus service has long been in dire need of improvement.”