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

Thursday’s Headlines Are Charged Up for the Fourth

The Republican megabill is bad for the electric vehicle industry, but it could be worse.

July 3, 2025

Why is the Secretary of Transportation Begging Americans to Take More Road Trips?

Instead of making America easier to see on all modes, the US Department of Transportation is encouraging U.S. residents to just get in their cars and drive.

July 3, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are for the Children

From mothers with babies in strollers to preteens on bikes, much of the U.S. is hostile to families just trying to get around without a car.

July 2, 2025

Ambulance Data Reveals That Boston Drivers Are 4 Times More Likely to Run Over Pedestrians From Black Neighborhoods

"Overall, residents of predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods are about four times more likely than residents of predominantly white neighborhoods to be struck as a pedestrian."

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Sprawling Headlines

Sprawl seems to be having a moment, but it remains a very shortsighted and environmentally disastrous way to solve the housing crisis.

July 1, 2025
See all posts