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Tehachapi board approves 2026–27 transportation plan with $140 semester nominal fee for non-priority riders
Summary
Trustees approved the 2026–27 transportation plan after a presentation by the chief business officer; plan keeps walking-distance standards, resumes 11 routes, uses Zonar bus-pass data, and adds a $140-per-semester nominal fee for non-priority riders while keeping socioeconomically disadvantaged students free.
The Tehachapi Unified School District Governing Board voted unanimously March 10 to approve the district’s 2026–27 transportation plan, which resumes an 11-route schedule and formalizes a nominal fee for some riders.
Hojette Entazari, the district’s chief business officer, told trustees the district serves roughly 4,040 students and has issued more than 1,500 bus passes with about 1,000 daily riders on general education routes. The plan maintains walking-distance standards — 0.75 mile for elementary, 1 mile for middle school and 2 miles for high school — and relies on the Zonar bus-pass system to improve daily ridership data.
To reduce early-year seat shortages and encourage accurate applications, the district proposed a nominal fee of $140 per semester (about $1.55 per day), Entazari said. "We think that kind of meets the definition of nominal fee," he said, while noting that students identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged will continue to ride for free.
Trustees discussed alternatives, including donation programs or a punch-card option, and asked staff to explore mechanisms to help non-priority families in need. Entazari said the district currently does not have a mechanism to solicit donations but is open to working with parent groups or community partners.
Motion and vote: Vice President Kelly moved to approve the transportation plan; Trustee Cooper seconded. The board approved the plan by voice vote, recorded as 6–0.
Why it matters: The plan aims to balance reliability with limited seat capacity and staffing challenges for drivers. The nominal fee is positioned as a modest measure to reduce phantom bus-pass issuance and make seat allocation more sustainable at the start of the school year.
Next steps: Staff will implement the 2026–27 plan, resume 11 routes, and continue outreach about application deadlines, with additional updates to the board as needed.
