As school bus ridership drops dramatically in the summer, District officials are considering either cutting driver hours or forcing summer furloughs.
There are a total of 1570 drivers covering 600 routes during the regular school year. That route number drops down to 350 during the summer.
Under the furlough option, as many as 850 drivers and attendants could be laid off during the summer.
The other option is cutting each driver's daily hours from seven to four.
Monday, hundreds gathered for prayer and demonstration outside of the John Wilson Building, headquarters of District government.
"It's hard out here," 13-year bus attendant Carol Faulkner said. "We're struggling. We've got bills, rent, cars and children."
Some of the veteran workers, who would be spared due to seniority, said they objected to the across-the-board cuts that some union leaders had agreed to.
Bus drivers and attendants told News4 they plan to continue demonstrating the cuts in the coming days and weeks.
The summer school session begins June 18 and runs through Aug. 9.