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…

In 2017, Matthew Chingos and Kristin Blagg of the Urban Institute convened a group of researchers to analyze students' school choices and travel to school in five cities-- Denver, Detroit, New Orleans, New York, and Washington, D.C.--where families are able to select from among many charter and district schools. The team found that a large number…

Whenever a school district considers changing bus stops, bus routes, or bell times, the public reaction is often decidedly unequal to the magnitude of the changes proposed. Unfortunately, the severity of continued budget crises has compelled many school districts to make major changes to their transportation systems. While additional cuts in…

Federal law does not require school boards to provide transportation for all students. But the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitles students with disabilities to transportation to and from school if the students' disabilities make it difficult for them to get to school; from, in, and around the buildings where they attend…

Public education is like riding a roller-coaster, except that in education the thrill tends to come on the way up, when the economy is flying high, and funding is flush and the future feels as bracing as the wind rushing past. However, this is not one of those times. The economy seems to be almost in free fall. Optimism plummets with each…

This article reports that with fuel prices soaring nationwide, reaching more than $4 for each gallon of gas or diesel, school districts are struggling to supplement transportation-budget shortfalls and find ways to offset the increasing costs as a new school year approaches. Now districts--most of whose buses run on diesel fuel--are scrambling to…

A struggling economy and skyrocketing fuel costs are making their grim presence felt as school districts across the country open their doors. With fewer dollars to spend, everything from teaching positions to bus transportation is on the chopping block. As students go back to school, many will find themselves in more crowded classrooms with texts…

As one of a series of topic papers assessing federal laws and programs affecting persons with disabilities, this paper reviews the issue of transportation services. In the area of urban mass transit, four relevant pieces of legislation and public transportation accessibility regulations are cited, and cost issues are explored. Paratransit systems,…