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Between $389 and $850 per-day How much does a school bus rental generally cost? Renting a school bus typically costs between $389 and $850 per-day.
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How much is the most expensive school bus?

New vs. Used – As with all equipment purchases, new will always cost more than used. Many factors affect the prices for both new and used buses. How much does an old, used school bus cost? The pricing depends on its condition and mileage. A rusty bus in poor condition will likely require a heavy investment in repairs and will therefore have a lower upfront cost.

1. A refurbished used bus that’s not too old and doesn’t have many miles will be a much safer investment for the higher cost.
2. Some estimates say that a used school bus with between 80,000 and 180,000 miles may cost anywhere from $3,000 and $10,000 and may be a little higher than that if it’s in great condition.

While you can often find used buses in excellent shape, only 24% of schools buy used buses for their fleets. At 68%, an overwhelming majority of operators are planning to buy new buses in 2021. So how much does a new school bus cost? New buses can cost anywhere from $90,000 to $290,000, depending on the type.
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How much does it cost to rent a school bus in California?

School Bus Rentals – Group Transportation From field trips and party buses to corporate events and conventions to national organizations and non-profits, choosing yellow is the fun and flexible choice for all types of groups and destinations. School bus rental prices range from $60 to $125* per hour.

1. So who’s ready to roll? *Location prices vary.
2. Minimum trip time and other restrictions may apply.
3. We personalize our service options for your specific event or activity.
4. First select the category that best describes your event type.
5. When you’re ready to get specific, call or click.
6. Our support team will help you work out all the details.

We’re here for you! Our professional drivers provide a fun-and memorable experience – so all that’s left is to sit back and enjoy the ride. First Student Charter Bus Rental provides memorable and affordable transportation while helping you stand out from the crowd.
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Are school bus free in California?

SACRAMENTO — When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down rural Del Norte County schools, it was the buses that brought students a shred of normalcy. Teachers and staff boarded the yellow buses and helped deliver brown bags of free meals and school supplies. They drove along winding, dilapidated back roads known for landslides, as concerns grew about students who had been shut out of classrooms.

“That school bus is a lifeline,” said Jeff Harris, superintendent of schools in Del Norte County, the northwestern corner of California. Del Norte, flush with redwood forests, is home to more than 4,000 K-12 students, a majority of whom qualify for free or reduced-price meals. When district finances were tight in 2019, school officials considered making cuts to transportation services.

But they ultimately backed off as community sentiment became clear: Buses are a necessity. “If we do not provide transportation services, then our students’ ability to access education just becomes critically endangered,” Harris said. “There is no way that a rural school district is able to decrease chronic absenteeism and support families who are in financial stress without running transportation services.” Unlike some other states, California does not require school districts to provide buses, even if a student lives far from campus. Students at West Sonoma County Union High School District on the school bus on May 31, 2022. (Paul Kuroda / For The Times) Since state officials froze school transportation funding levels more than 40 years ago, districts across California have cut back on bus routes or ended them; charged parents hundreds of dollars; or urged students to take public transit instead.

San Juan Unified School District in Sacramento County ended its bus program for most of its 49,000 students in 2011, citing post-recession financial woes. Rocklin Unified in Placer County offers transportation but at a cost of $350 per student each year, though exceptions can be made for low-income families.

California buses a smaller share of its public school students than any other state, fewer than 9% of students compared with 33% nationwide, according to the most recent National Household Travel Survey by the Federal Highway Administration in 2017. More than two-thirds of California’s students got a private ride to school each day while 18% walked and 2% took a city bus or other public transit, according to the survey.

1. Those numbers fail to measure the strain placed on families as California’s vast wealth gap widens and concerns grow about students who do not have parents able to provide a daily ride. Gov.
2. Gavin Newsom and state legislators are set to finalize a budget that’s flush with cash, and school leaders are calling for the state to cover the cost of buses in full.

It’s a move, they say, that will allow all students the option of a ride while ending inequities and boosting the use of what research shows is the safest and most reliable way for kids to get to class. About 5% of the 938 school districts that reported financial data to the state did not report any spending on transportation for the 2019-2020 academic year, according to a Times analysis.

About 9,000 students attend schools in districts that reported no spending on buses. Other states, including Florida, Delaware and New York, provide more when it comes to school buses. Some states cover the full cost, while others base reimbursements on districts’ ability to pay or miles driven and ridership.

“When it comes to providing free school transportation to students, California comes in dead last. Numerous states have, for decades, offered free bus rides to and from school to all public school students. California is not one of them,” state Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) said in a statement.

1. Skinner is the author of a bill that would require districts to provide transportation to most students by 2027, with a boost from the state.
2. She points to the pricey legislation’s upside: safety, attendance and environmental benefits, as buses can reduce traffic and the number of vehicles on the road.

The bill is among a few proposals moving through the Legislature aiming to address the decades-old problem. A $1.2-billion legislative budget proposal urges Newsom to approve state-funded school bus rides for students up to sixth grade, as well as low-income students of all ages. Justin Villarreal hugs his son, Harbor, 10, at his bus stop in Camp Meeker, Calif. (Paul Kuroda / For The Times) For years, Cheryl Witteman paid Sonoma County schools to pick up her children every day along “absolutely terrible” country roads at their home on two acres near the quiet city of Sebastopol, a place where vineyards outnumber neighbors.

1. But when classes resumed in August, there was no bus at the end of her long driveway.
2. In a cost-saving measure, the Sonoma County Union High School District ended the Wittemans’ routes.
3. Witteman feels lucky that she can work from home with a flexible schedule and be at school when the bell rings, but she worries about families that can’t do the same.

She spends about 80 minutes a day taking her child to and from school— an increasingly expensive trip as gas prices exceed $6.60 per gallon in Sonoma County. “We are a middle-income family. We’re not wealthy. It’s a challenge. It really is a hardship for our family,” she said.

Buses are a leveler. If everyone rides the bus, there’s not this tiered system.” The Sonoma district scrambled last year to help families left without bus access after the latest cutbacks, with school officials asking parents whether they could offer other students a ride. Jeanne Bassett Fernandes, vice president of the Sonoma County Union High School District board, fears that limited bus routes have persuaded some families to prolong distance learning that began earlier in the pandemic.

Research has found virtual school lacking for most students compared with in-person classroom learning. Bassett Fernandes worries about families that cannot afford the $240 a year the district charges to ride the bus, and about those that can’t balance daily work commutes with the school day schedule.

But she also says it is not financially feasible for the district to spend more on operating bus routes than it already does. “This has got to be breaking the bank for some people. We suspect some kids haven’t been coming to school because their parents actually cannot afford to buy the gas to get them there,” Bassett Fernandes said.

“There’s a human cost to this.” Harris, the Del Norte County superintendent, can’t help but wonder how much more schools could do if only the state would cover busing costs. What the district spends on transportation now would be enough to hire 13 teachers each year, he said, or could be used to add more student support services.

• Del Norte County reports among the highest “adverse childhood experiences” scores in the state, a measure of trauma and abuse linked to various negative academic and health outcomes.
• Bus routes serve the area’s isolated tribal lands, as 14% of the district’s students are Native American.
• Harris is worried about the county’s high opioid overdose and violent crime rates and what school officials described in a recent grant proposal seeking more funding as “economic stress coupled with rural boredom.” The former logging industry hub, now economically dependent on Pelican Bay State Prison, has been forgotten amid budget negotiations in Sacramento more than 250 miles south, he said.

“We’re using our current funds just to get kids to school,” Harris said. “We see it as a real equity issue.” California’s school funding formula was designed so that districts can make spending decisions on their own. As the state budget grows, so do school district budgets.

But school officials say transportation should be a guarantee outside general funding — especially as the state bases funding on average daily attendance. “Over time, school funding has ups and downs, but transportation is an enduring need that requires a stable funding source,” said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Boards Assn., which is sponsoring a bill by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D-Long Beach) that would require the state to reimburse school bus costs in full.

“Right now, it’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul.” A report in 2014 by the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office called the state’s school transportation funding system “irrational” and “outdated.” The review recommended that California change its school transportation funding formula then. A student boards the bus in rural Camp Meeker, Calif. (Paul Kuroda / For The Times) The state’s Black and Native American students are more than twice as likely to be chronically absent from school than their white peers. The state does not track why students are absent, but national organizations such as Attendance Works point to lack of transportation as one barrier.

1. While California is home to many urban centers close to campuses, school district leaders say universal transportation services could also alleviate safety concerns about students’ walking paths and unsupervised city bus rides.
2. Los Angeles Unified, the second-largest school district in the nation, does not provide buses for the general student body.

The district launched a pilot program last year that provides free Metro bus and train rides to students. Students who have a potentially dangerous walking route to school may receive a bus ride “on a limited basis,” according to LAUSD’s website. Just last month, the Los Angeles City Council proposed barring homeless encampments within 500 feet of schools after hearing concerns from parents.

“We want to remove all barriers for kids getting to school, rural or urban,” LAUSD board member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said. “There are a variety of issues and family circumstances that prohibit kids from getting to school on time. If we could provide transportation for all who request it, I think learning would skyrocket.” While California’s school funding formula is complex, Dave Walrath, who worked on the issue at both the Legislative Analyst’s Office and the state Department of Finance, says it comes down to a simple question with an obvious answer: Should every child have a right to attend school? “Yes, we’re at record levels of funding that we hope continues, but we also have a significant amount of need for just direct classroom instruction,” said Walrath, who is now an education lobbyist.

“Every district has its own situation and fiscal pressures. Right now, there’s a disproportionately negative impact on those who have the highest need for transportation.” :: Justin Villarreal leaned down to hug his 10-year-old son, Harbor, before the yellow bus came to pick him up at 7:38 a.m.

As it always does at Camp Meeker, an unincorporated community in Sonoma County just minutes from the ocean. He and his wife, Sarah, coordinate driving their four children to a bus stop 15 minutes from their home each day, as routes are limited. The Villarreal children, 7 to 15 years old, are able to ride for free with a waiver from the school district for low-income families.

The oldest, Arraya, works at a local coffee shop so she can save for a car. Her parents plan to one day lean on her for help with rides for her siblings. Justin Villarreal, an energetic dad who wears his hat backward and runs a landscaping business, jokes that he and his wife are superhuman.
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Why doesn’t LA have school buses?

California is one of the few states that does not require school systems to provide buses for all kids to get to campuses. Thus, California is near the bottom in per-pupil bus riders. LAUSD serves more than 600,000 students, and 41,000 of them ride the district’s buses each day.
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Can you rent a school bus in Florida?

You can rent a school bus, minibus, mini coach bus, or coach bus in Orlando. All you have to do is decide which amenities you would like, then book your bus using our easy online booking tool.
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Is school bus free in San Diego?

For those who do qualify for transportation, San Diego Unified has employed a parent-pay system for transportation since 2011. Students in exempt programs do not have to pay the fee. For more details, go to the Fee for Transportation page. Safety of our passengers and staff are paramount.
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Are school buses free in USA?

Pay to Ride: Many School Districts Now Charge Fees to Ride School Buses Many school districts across the country are charging kids to ride the bus to help offset some of the budget shortfalls they have experienced over recent years – a very controversial decision for many parents and students across the country. With and fewer resources to draw from, many school districts have been forced to find more ways to trim the fat.

One expense that has made its way to the chopping block in more than one district is transportation. While have always been a given where students live too far to walk to school, that commodity is no longer a freebie for all school districts. In an effort to balance the books, schools are deciding to charge students for the privilege of riding a bus to and from school.

However, the decision is accompanied by complaints and irate parents in most of the districts when the fees are announced. We’ll take a look at both sides of the pay-to-ride issue. Franklin Township Now Outsourcing Transportation Needs Franklin Township school system has been hit hard in the pocketbook with an $8 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year.

Instead of and, the school began charging parents to let students ride the bus to and from school. The charge for school bus privileges won’t be cheap – according to a report at the Indy Channel, the fee for bus service for a single student will be $475 annually. Additional children in the same family will get a discount, paying $405 per year for the same bus privileges.

The bus fee was on the table for the school district last year, but the idea was rejected after Attorney General Greg Zoller issued an advisory opinion that a fee for transportation would be unconstitutional, according to the, However, when voters turned down a referendum in May, an additional budget shortfall led the school district down a path to get around the constitutionality of the bus fee.

The district decided to outsource transportation to an outside non-profit, the Central Indiana Educational Services Center. The organization bought around 75 school buses from the district for $1 and agreed to provide transportation to students within the district at cost. At this point, Franklin Township is the only school district in Indianapolis to make such a decision.

The choice to charge for school bussing comes with plenty of controversies. Parents have turned out in force at town hall and school board meetings to protest the decision. At a town meeting at the end of July, 200 parents and taxpayers showed up to ask the school why they chose such a budget-cutting measure.

Taxpayer Christina Bailey asked members of the school board and state lawmakers at the meeting, “When does the waste stop and common sense kick in?” Some parents also wanted to know why the school did not choose to tap into a $14 million emergency fund to cover the transportation costs, rather than,

Sarah Wiley, another concerned taxpayer, chose to point the finger at state legislators, rather than the school board. At the same meeting, she asked lawmakers, “I want to know how you expect us to do more with less when you all voted against schools? You voted for and that took money away from us.” Despite the widespread concern, Superintendent Walter Bourke said he believed he did the right thing for his schools, especially when it came to conserving the district’s emergency fund.

This video reports on rising student transportation costs. Texas Students Face New Bus Fees, Colorado Students get More of the Same

In District, parents are facing a hefty fee to ride the bus or find another mode of transportation. According to, Keller parents will have to pay $185 each semester for a first child to ride the bus and $135 for a second child. Children who qualify for the will be charged a discounted fee of $100.

1. After initially nixing the idea of a monthly payment plan, the district has relented and will allow parents to pay their bus fees on a monthly basis.
2. However, students will have to carry identification cards that show whether fees are up to date before they will be allowed to board a school bus.
3. Superintendent of Keller James Veitenheimer tried to allay parents’ fears that bus service would no longer be available in the district.

He told Keller parents, “There will be buses. They just won’t be free.” Veitenheimer also told CBS DFW, “We’re excited that we’re going to have a transportation option for students at all, and feel very fortunate that our partners at Durham and Radiant were able to help provide another payment option for our families.” However, parents are not as pleased as Veitenheimer about the situation.

Jennifer Rosenthal, a Keller parent who attended a meeting to protest the decision, told CBS DFW, “Had we known there was not going to be an option to get our kids to school, we’d have bought a house right next to the school.” Charging for school bus service isn’t anything new for in Colorado. This district broke the news of bus fees to parents at the beginning of the previous academic school year and is continuing the practice this year.

With a major budget shortfall, the district explained in a last year that transportation costs were eating up a large portion of the annual budget. Big yellow school buses will still be on the streets tomorrow, but their free cost may just be a phenomenon of yesterday.
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How expensive is the bus in LA?

How to Ride Metro Bus. Fares can be paid using cash (exact change) or a TAP card. Regular fare is $1.75 and is good for 2 hrs of unlimited transfers in one direction.
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Is LA bus still free?

Support your source for local news! Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. The local news you read here every day is crafted for you, but right now, we need your help to keep it going. In these uncertain times, your support is even more important.

We can’t hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership. Thank you. Within days of pandemic stay-at-home orders back in March 2020, Los Angeles County’s public transit agency moved to rear-door boarding and stopped collecting fares on its bus lines. It came down to safety.

Skipping the fares and requiring rear-door boarding made it possible to do a better job of social distancing. That offered a layer of safety for L.A. Metro’s riders and workers. Now that free ride is scheduled to come to an end Monday, Jan.10 on the majority of Metro’s buses.

1. Advocates for commuters say it’s the wrong move.
2. New COVID-19 cases have reached the highest points here since the pandemic began.
3. These times do call for all of us to take care of each other in the same way we did in the beginning of 2020,” said Scarlett De Leon, campaign director for L.A.’s Alliance for Community Transit,

“The right thing for Metro to do would be to extend back-door boardings for now.” De Leon said that not only did the boarding change increase safety, the fare-free bus system brought “much-needed economic relief for a lot of the community we work with, that relies on public transportation every day.” Many of those riders are workers who faced job loss and evictions as the economy took a massive hit.

• And those effects are lingering, she said.
• Bus ridership is up — it’s not going to go down We’re going to continue to see a lot of folks — mostly low-income folks who rely on bus — having to ride crowded buses going from the front, plus the economic burden for these folks as they try to catch up on things like rent debt.” De Leon also pointed to what ACT-LA feels is a “contradiction” by Metro: the agency is resuming fare collection and front-door boarding, but recently canceled some in-person events aimed at helping riders enroll in its low-income fare program ” to protect everyone’s health,” The surge in new COVID cases is impacting Metro staff, too.

According to the agency’s most recent report, over 400 cases have been reported among Metro employees and contractors since Dec.27. Bus and rail operators account for 134 of those cases — nearly a third. Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero said he could not speak to safety concerns raised by advocates about the current case surge, but said “safety is one of our primary concerns”.
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Why do NYC buses not stop?

Here is the MTA’s rationale: Service is provided according to service planning guidelines so that passengers get a seat during nonpeak hours. A crowding standard is established for peak hours and at no time should buses bypass passengers waiting at a stop because they are too crowded.
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Are LA buses free now?

How Much To Rent School Bus? | How to get best price.?

Going Fareless – Part of why Metro was able to go fareless in the first place was thanks to, well, taxpayers. Los Angeles County voters passed Measure M in 2016. The local sales tax will generate $120 billion for Metro over the next four decades, a situation unique from other U.S.

1. Transit authorities.
2. Bus and train fares then make up about only 15-20% of Metro’s annual operating funds, Jacob Wasserman, a research project manager at the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies, told KCRW,
3. It’s a small but important source of revenue for the agency, and, at this point, we can’t afford to provide free rides for the entire populace of L.A.

riders,” Sotero said. Still, that doesn’t mean Metro has given up on a fareless future. It has a program called ” Low Income Fare is Easy,” or LIFE, which provides discounts and free 90-day passes for first-time low-income riders. “We’re looking for additional funding opportunities to potentially provide free fares for riders in the future,” Sotero said.

• So we haven’t abandoned the idea, but it is going to require that we identify other funding sources to make it happen.” Other cities, both in the U.S.
• But mostly abroad, have experimented with free transit systems.
• In California, the City of Commerce has a free bus system that dates back to 1962, one of the few free bus systems in the country.

Kong, the student, was able to qualify for Metro’s LIFE program, making bus rides free for them even after fares were reinstated in January. However, the express bus Kong takes as part of their commute is not included, and costs $2.75 one way. “If you think about it, at least $2.75 a day, it adds up,” said Kong, who now spends around $25 a month on public transportation and has to budget for the extra cost.
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