Right now, schools are in a state of limbo as they decide what the future of teaching will look like. Some kids are learning on-site, some from home, and some are being shuffled back and forth. This breather from full-time busing can be a chance to reassess the budget. By strategizing about the ways schools can cut transportation costs, it could free up money that may be necessary to implement new teaching techniques.
In the wake of the coronavirus, many parents will be open to alternative transportation for their kids that will decrease their exposure to any form of illness. Buses will stagger passenger loads and cordon off seating to create more distance between students; however, parents may not be convinced that it’s enough to protect their children in a bus’s enclosed interior. Just as they’ve limited play dates to just a few, health-approved friends, parents can form a carpool with another family. It would improve the safety of their kids, as well as the kids on less occupied buses.
More carpools would result in fewer daily passengers for buses. Some students might switch to walking to school in the fresh air, riding their bikes, or getting dropped off by their parents on their way to work. Ideally, busloads would be reduced to the point that they could not only increase the space between seats but even enable the consolidation of routes. Less fuel, fewer drivers, and greater savings.
While it requires an up-front investment, alternative fuels would have many long-term benefits for schools. Increased efficiency saves money, and some fuels are less expensive than gas. The impact on your school budget, of course, would pale in comparison to the impact on the environment. If there’s no money to invest in greener buses, you can retrofit the existing fleet for different fuels. Your school district has probably already begun looking a change—and what better way to model sustainable living for students?
Investing in the latest-model school buses has always been a boost for morale, with new technology and a fresh yellow presence on the roads. Now our priorities have been rearranged, though, and niceties and aesthetics are taking a back seat to the need for new educational equipment. Replacing retired buses with preowned vehicles, or adding used buses to the existing fleet, doesn’t mean you’ll have to compromise on safety; just some of the new bells and whistles.
There are many more ways schools can cut transportation costs and channel those funds for higher educational priorities instead. Until circumstances change, we have the time to reexamine the ways we do everything—and with some creativity, we can make changes for the better.