Costs for transporting public school students have risen 33% from 2008 to 2018, reaching, on average, $1,152 per student transported. The reasons behind this shift include higher labor costs, various forms of school choice requiring longer commutes from students' neighborhoods, and environmentally friendly upgrades to bus fleets. As a result, some…

The author, a teacher and substitute bus driver, explains the pivotal role that bus drivers play in the education process by proving safe transport and getting students off to a good start each day. Reducing bus transportation budgets, or charging families for using it, reduces student access to education.