Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Buses

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

12:29 PM EDT on September 2, 2008

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 New York City

Can We Just Keep Cars Off the Queensbridge Baby Greenway?

Why do we allow car drivers to park on greenways, in parks and on tree beds?

March 29, 2024

Maximum Rage: Delivery Workers Protest Low Wages, App ‘Lockouts’

Couriers with bikes and signs urge the city to step in as Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash withhold work, they say.

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024
See all posts