Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fare Busing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plano ISD adopts new fare-busing guidelines, citing cost and capacity constraints
Summary
Trustees approved new district guidelines for fare busing that tighten eligibility, prioritize capacity, and limit growth of fare-only routes amid rising transportation costs; decisions on applications will be made starting Oct. 1.
The Plano ISD Board of Trustees voted March 25 to adopt new fair-busing guidelines designed to limit the district’s fare-based bus routes and prioritize transportation capacity for students eligible under district and TEA guidelines.
Johnny Hill, deputy superintendent for business and employee services, described the evolution of the district’s fare-busing program: what began as a way to fill extra seats on regular routes grew into additional routes dedicated solely to fare busing. Hill said the audit by TASBO in 2023 recommended eliminating fare busing entirely because of budget and resource pressures; district staff instead proposed a scaled-back approach for 2025–26 that would return fare busing closer to its original intent, limit fare service to buses with capacity (first-come, first-served), and not add new routes to accommodate paid riders.
The district reported there are 13 fare-only routes and that the estimated operating cost per additional route has risen from about $80,000 in 2023 to “over $90,000” today; staff said fuel, bus prices and driver wages were key drivers of the increase. Under the new guidelines, applications for fare busing will be accepted in September and the district will begin filling available seats on Oct. 1 once routes and capacity have stabilized after the start of school. Fees will be prorated for midyear changes.
Trustee Tara Lance moved to approve the guidelines; Trustee Angela Powell seconded. Board members discussed clarification topics including the interaction between hazardous-roadway changes and fare-busing eligibility, the district’s intention not to add new routes for fare riders, a standing review by a transportation committee, and the option to revisit the program next year based on actual demand. The motion passed 7–0.
Staff said the district will send communications to existing fare-busing families outlining the timeline and will publish the full policy, application instructions and FAQ on the district’s transportation website (staff said the site would be updated near noon the day after the meeting).
