This week is Bus Ridership Week in North Carolina. Each year, the state determines transportation funding for school districts by how many students ride the bus both to and from school.
Fonda Durner, Director of Transportation for Buncombe County Schools, says, “If a child is going to ride a school bus any time during the school year, it is very important that he or she ride the bus as many days possible during the week of the count.”
State funding for school transportation is determined by three factors: the total number of buses operating, total expenditures, and the number of students riding buses, and that number will be determined September 24–28.
School buses are the safest way to get students to school, and they offer convenience to families who utilize them on a daily basis. Students riding the bus keep more cars off the road, especially in high-traffic areas near schools. Buncombe County and Asheville City school buses travel 17,000 miles each school day transporting approximately 17,000 students to and from school. To ensure continued funding it is important to have each of those students on the bus as many times during bus ridership week as possible.
“It’s hard to beat the safety, convenience, and reliability of the neighborhood school bus,” said Durner.
Please visit the Buncombe County Schools transportation page for additional information.