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Board approves transportation plan emphasizing equity, data and expanded electric‑bus fleet
Summary
San Diego Unified approved its 2026–27 home‑to‑school transportation plan, prioritizing student access, an impact study and an expansion of electric buses (43 EVs planned beginning August 2026 with a longer goal of 93 EVs by mid‑2027); trustees pressed staff on on‑time metrics and long ride times for some students.
The San Diego Unified Board on April 14 approved the district’s annual home‑to‑school transportation plan, a retooled strategy that the district said shifts transportation from an operations function to a strategic equity lever that supports attendance and student success.
Transportation leaders said San Diego Unified maintains a fleet of more than 300 school buses that log roughly 3.5 million miles annually and safely transport about 4,600 students every school day. Daniel Gilbreath, manager of Transportation Operation, and other leaders described a four‑part focus for 2026–27: reliability, access, family experience and efficiency.
“We’re expanding our AC‑equipped EV school buses to 43 units beginning August 2026,” Gilbreath said during the presentation, and the district later said additional grants and awards could bring the total EV fleet to 93 buses by June 2027. Transportation staff said the district has acquired more than $40 million in EV buses and equipment through grant programs, and that many of the EV vehicles and infrastructure have been funded without out‑of‑pocket costs to the district.
The presentation also outlined operational figures: 212 assigned drivers servicing 886 daily trips, a two‑tier staggered bell model that achieves more than four trips per driver on average, and a $40 million transportation budget. Staff said about 60% of certain eligible McKinney‑Vento costs are reimbursed through AB 181 and Title I funds, but that special‑education and non‑public placement routes remain high‑cost items requiring general‑fund support.
Trustees pressed staff on several points in Q&A, including the district’s adoption of a 90% on‑time performance benchmark drawn from Council of the Great City Schools guidance and concerns about students with commutes exceeding an hour. Trustee Shayna asked whether the district could set incremental targets above 90% and requested clearer commute‑time metrics. Student board members and trustees asked about shorter ride times, use of smaller vehicles for nimble routing and contingency plans if EV buses experience range or charging issues.
District officials said drivers start runs with at least 80% charge, route lengths were modeled to align with vehicle range, and dispatch provides real‑time notifications if a vehicle’s battery dips below safety thresholds. Staff also described software upgrades (parent portal, GPS and ridership integration) and a planned transportation impact study that will quantify attendance, enrollment retention and fiscal savings tied to route optimization and EV transition.
Trustee Whitehurst Payne moved to approve the plan; the motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to adopt the 2026–27 transportation plan.
What’s next: The district will establish baseline metrics in August, perform a mid‑year progress check and deliver a final impact‑study report in next year’s annual presentation.
