Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Buses

Going Back-to-School in the Age of the $4 Gallon

Today is the first day of class for New York City public school students, while other districts across the country have been in session for weeks. The Times reports that some are grappling with how to get kids to and from school in the 298194903_97e86c863f.jpgface of $4-per-gallon gasoline.

Schools in many states have cut bus stops to save diesel. Districts inCalifornia and Ohio have gone further and eliminated bus service eithercompletely or for high schools, leaving thousands of students to findtheir own way to school.

West Virginia officials issued a memorandum recently to localdistricts titled “Tips to Deal With the Skyrocketing Cost of Fuel.”Last week, David Pauley, the transportation supervisor for the KanawhaCounty school system, based in Charleston, met with drivers of thedistrict’s 196 buses to outline those policies. Mr. Pauley told them tostay 5 miles per hour below the limit, to check the tire pressure everyday and to avoid jackrabbit starts.

The Caldwell Parish SchoolDistrict, in northern Louisiana, took a more sweeping approach tosaving fuel by eliminating Monday classes. The district joined about100 systems nationwide, most of them rural, that in recent years haveadopted a four-day schedule.

Simple fuel-saving measures that should be commonplace notwithstanding, the severe impact of gas prices on education has some wondering if schools ought to be in the transportation business in the first place. At the same time, though, the Federal Transit Administration is moving to curtail public transportation for students.

When all is said and done, might higher gas prices finally return us to such "innovative" solutions as walking, biking and car-pooling to school? It's happening already in some areas, with or without administrative support.

Photo: Brad Aaron

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Advocates: The Senate’s Chance to Ensure America’s Public Transit Future Is Now

Congress is in the process of writing America's next big transportation bill — and more than 100 organizations are demanding it deliver for transit.

October 20, 2025

Why Does Female Leadership Break Through the Status Quo?

"This is not a feminist agenda. This is just logic," said one woman in power.

Maybe Monday’s Headlines Drive, Maybe They Walk

Nobody tells you where to go, baby. So what's the difference if a computer's behind the wheel or a person?

October 20, 2025

More Tantrums: Trump DOT Threatens NYC Over Building a Bus Lane (Yes, Really)

The feds threatened to cut city and state funding if New York doesn't halt all work on the 34th Street busway so the FHWA can review the project.

October 17, 2025

Hasta La Vista, Friday’s Headlines

Will the Gateway Project be back? Or will anyone taking a train have to get to da choppa instead?

October 17, 2025

‘Embarrassment’: Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking Still Flawed at Night

Relying solely on vehicle automation for pedestrian detection and collision avoidance is not advised, a new study said.

October 17, 2025
See all posts