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Transit Agencies Warn Budget Language Restricting Student Transfers Would Harm Access and Risk Federal Funds
Summary
Public transit agencies representing Cleveland, Cincinnati and Akron told the committee that proposed budget language restricting student transfers at transit hubs and imposing one‑seat ride requirements would be unworkable, reduce safe access to after‑school programs and could jeopardize federal transit funding.
Officials from Ohio's largest transit systems told the Senate committee that proposed changes to student transportation language in the budget would reduce safe access for students, impose infeasible operational requirements and could put federal transit funds at risk.
Why it matters: Several school districts currently partner with transit agencies to provide high‑school students access to school and after‑school activities using transit IDs. Testimony said these arrangements are cost‑effective and enable students to travel beyond a single bus route; a change that prohibits transfers at staffed hubs would force costly yellow‑bus solutions or reduce student mobility.
What transit leaders told the committee: Dr. Flaunce Caver, COO of the Greater Cleveland RTA, said GCRTA provides safe, supervised hub transfers and that the proposed amendment (HC 222805‑1) would force students to make transfers at unsupervised locations and could greatly increase costs if districts switch to dedicated yellow school buses. "Forcing students to transfer in unsupervised areas with no security infrastructure would reduce, not improve, safety for students," she said.
Andrew Aiello of Southwest Ohio RTA (Cincinnati Metro) and Dawn Dessler of Akron METRO made similar points: modern regional transit networks are built around hubs and transfers, and a flat "one‑ride" standard is infeasible for fixed‑route public transit and may conflict with federal regulations governing public transit funding and operations.
Scale and consequences: Speakers said tens of thousands of rides already accommodate students' school attendance and after‑school programs. Caver noted that Cleveland provides transportation for more than 13,000 high‑school students and estimated a potential $40 million annual cost to replace transit arrangements with yellow buses in Cleveland alone.
Next steps: Transit agencies asked the committee to remove the restrictive language from the budget or to delay adoption until the Senate and stakeholders can clarify how proposed requirements would work operationally and with federal transit rules.
