FIRST TAKE Lessons in Supply and Demand WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY
bus because it is the safest vehicle on the road. Indeed. But this is not a perfect world. In this economy, especially, the desire to bus certain segments of students, not to mention all of them, rarely matches reality. Ridership generally peaks from kindergarten through fifth grade, and then begins to tail off. It comes as no surprise that school-bus ridership figures fall to below 20 per- cent, on average, for high school students. Tese reasons range from the fact that many of these students now have their own driver’s licenses, to the perception that is no longer “cool” to be seen on the school bus. Most parents with teenaged children would empathize. Tere is a direct correlation between a student’s age and if he or she wants to ride the
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school bus. Of course, needs are different than wants, and millions of students across the na- tion — whether they have individualized education plans for certain physical or emotional disabilities, face hazardous walking routes or live in remote, rural areas — have no alterna- tive but the school bus to get to and from class. It’s one thing to say all kids should ride to and from school in the bus; but the fact is that other options, some of which are more viable than the yellow bus in certain circumstances, do exist. Not to say those options are better or safer than the school bus, but, again, we must be realistic. Hundreds of millions of students have done just fine taking transit buses to school just as have students who’ve walked or biked to school. Tere are inherent dangers associated with either of these examples of student transportation, and today’s society is much different than that of even five or 10 years ago, not to mention 70 or 80. But, at least in certain areas of the country, these options are perfectly suitable. In these instances, school districts and student transportation departments should be play- ing the facilitator with municipal transit, Safe Routes to School programs, parents and other education and safety stakeholders to identify and implement options that make the most sense for the student, the child and the community (see taxpayers). No longer are student trans- porters “just” responsible for getting kids to and from school safely on the yellow bus. Instead, they should be logistical safety experts whose mission is to inform and consult the educational community on preparing students each day to learn. Instead of fighting change, they should be identifying ways to influence the conversation to ensure a seat at the table in finding and creating the best options for students, especially in this economy of cuts. Ask yourself: How is my transportation operation demonstrating its value? Low accident rates
are outstanding, but how else is your operation affecting the larger conversation on accessibility to the classroom and influencing students’ futures? Is your school district or bus company teach- ing kids traffic safety especially in regard to school buses or merely reacting to the staggering number of motorists who seem to have no clue — or don’t care — what to do when encoun- tering a school bus on the road? School-bus operators have an obligation to not only teach students safety at the bus stop and on board, but to explain why. Today’s children are tomorrow’s motorists. At one time most of the teen driver education was handled at school. Today, this is rarely
the case as these services have increasingly become privatized. Tis doesn’t mean student transporters can and should rest on their laurels. Tere is too much at stake, both in terms of child safety as well as the longevity of this valiant profession. Student transportation must create demand.
ccording to the National Education Association, more than 47.3 million primary and secondary students attended public schools during the 2011-2012 school year. Meanwhile, student transportation industry estimates indicate about 24 million of those students were regular riders of school buses to and from school. I still hear from many readers that, in a perfect world, all K-12 students would ride the school
10 School Transportation News August 2013
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