SchoolFinder Blog

High Gas Prices May Take School Buses Off The Road

The wheels on school buses around the country might not go round and round this year. As fuel prices continue to go up, more and more school districts are shortening bus routes or canceling them all together.

On average, school buses get anywhere from 6 miles to 10 miles per gallon and run on diesel fuel. With local diesel prices averaging at $5/gallon, up 35%-40% since last year, schools are looking at dishing out top dollar to bus students to and from school.

As a result of these prices, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Some are changing bus routes, shortening routes or taking routes out all together. Another option is to use natural gas or other alternative fuels and some are looking into hybrid fuel-electric buses.

Here is what other schools are doing to cut back on transportation costs:

• Schools in Garden City, Michigan have eliminated all Saturday transportation for extracurricular activities.

• Nash-Rocky Mount public schools now charge students or booster clubs to use their buses for anything outside of big extracurricular competitions.

• Ohio schools only provide bus routes for kindergartners through 8th graders who live more than 2 miles from the school.

So far there have been 86 school districts that have gone to 4-day weeks, in order to cut back on transportation costs. Cutting out one day has saved the Webster County schools in Kentucky more than $400,000 since they made the switch in 2005.

The American School Bus Council claims that cutting bus service is bad for students and the environment. Around 800 student deaths each year are attributed to travel to and from school, with only 20 bus-related. The council believes this number will increase as schools cut bus routes. But then again, it is in their best interest to make such a claim.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School is excited about the transportation cuts and to see more children walk and bike to school. This will force students to get physical exercise and will cut back on the pollutants emitted from buses.

Growing up I lived in a very small neighborhood within Gainesville, Georgia and rode the bus every morning and afternoon. There were no other children in the neighborhood to carpool with and my school was pretty far from where we lived, so my parents definitely benefited from the bus system.

I’m guessing this is the case for many families living in rural areas and will make getting their children to school more challenging. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a drop in attendance rates for those students who lose their bus ride to school.