The Impact of the School Bus on Communities
The school bus saves families about 62 billion miles of driving each year. That’s a significant time and convenience benefit in the lives of busy parents. And the millions of gallons of gas it saves means more room in family budgets. But if you think that families of school-age children are the only ones who benefit from school bus ridership, think again.
Commuters, educators, environmentalists and entire communities can also appreciate the many contributions of the school bus.
One school bus carries the equivalent number of passengers as about 36 cars. So, cutting service could result in more gridlock and longer commutes. All those additional cars on the road would mean more emissions and higher concentrations of pollution in the air.
Like other forms of public transportation, the school bus provides benefits to the entire community—not just those who ride.
There are important safety benefits too.
Students are about 70 times more likely to arrive to school safely if they take the school bus instead of traveling by car. With teen drivers crashing at higher rates than adults, the school bus provides a much safer alternative. Its passengers can socialize, text and simply be children without the deadly risks involved with distracted or inexperienced driving—risks that affect everyone on the road.
