Reply to Standing room only on the school bus

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Bussing could change to be fee for service. Families would sign up and pay for an entire semester. This would also solve the planning problem. They already start giving kids MCPS IDs in middle school, they could just give them a barcode sticker to scan if they purchase the pass. Families that couldn't afford it would get a reduced fee or free pass depending on income level.

This would cover the costs, provide better planning and free up millions spent on free transportation to be better spent on adding teachers and aides to the classroom. [/quote]

Now this is a good idea. [/quote]

The estimated cost of transportation in the fiscal year 2018 operating budget is $42,090,090. So let's say $42 million.

They say that they transport 103,000 students every day - I think that's from 2016-17, but I don't know if it would have gone up or down. So let's say 100,000.

Now, how much do you want to charge? To cover the whole cost, it would be $420 per kid per year. Are you ok with that?

But 35.1% of students last year qualified for free or reduced meals. Let's assume that kids who qualify for free or reduced meals are proportionately represented among the 100,000 kids who get bused. So it would only be 65,000 students who would pay. Now to cover the whole cost, it would be $646 per kid per year. Are you ok with that?

Also, what kind of enforcement mechanism are you thinking of? Who is going to collect and process the money? Who is going to check that a kid has been paid for? What if the kid hasn't been paid for and tries to get on the bus? What about kids in special education? [/quote]

Thanks for calculating. $650 per year for round trip daily transportation seems incredibly reasonable to me. You certainly couldn’t ride the metro for that price! I believe the PP suggested a bar code system, but I suppose a metro style fare card could also work. After all, they don’t let you ride public buses unless you prove you have paid, so it shouldn’t be too hard to enforce. Regarding special programs busing, that could either be charged separately, or included in the daily pass for those who subscribe. [/quote]

Wow, check your privilege. Do you know how many people can't afford $650 per kid? You say they could pay a reduced fee, but I think you're vastly underestimating the number of families who would need a reduced fee.

The privilege on DCUM is really coming out on this thread.[/quote]

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