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Arcadia Unified outlines transportation fleet, ridership and revenue sources
Summary
District transportation staff told the board the department operates 24 buses and 4 vans, employs 17 bus drivers, logged about 102,000 miles annually, runs roughly 571 home-to-school trips and reported FY23-24 revenues of about $3.2 million (including $1.4M SPED contribution and roughly $747K state reimbursements).
Transportation Director Tony Barrios and Manager Gabriel Santos presented a comprehensive overview of Arcadia Unified's transportation operations, including fleet size, staffing, routes and revenue sources.
Barrios said the department currently operates 24 buses and four vans (two wheelchair-accessible), with 17 bus drivers and five trained van drivers who fill in as needed. He said the department covers about 15 daily home-to-school routes, including special education routes, and drives roughly 102,000 miles annually for district transport.
On revenue, Barrios reported FY23-24 totals of about $3.2 million: roughly $1.4 million from special education home-to-school contributions and about $747,000 in state reimbursements (about 60% reimbursement for eligible home-to-school route costs). Parent-pay fees and ASB field-trip charges make up the remainder of the revenue mix.
"So currently, we have 17 bus drivers...We have 24 buses and 4 vans," Barrios said in the presentation. Staff emphasized that special-education transport listed on IEPs is the district's top priority and that routes are created based on destination, bell schedules and ridership.
The board asked about fleet replacement and state mandates: transportation staff said they are replacing older buses (some as old as 20 years) and plan to buy one to two buses per year to meet future mandates (including seat belt requirements targeted by 2035). Parts, inspection and fuel costs have risen sharply, contributing to higher operating expenses.
What happens next: staff will continue efforts to refine field-trip estimates, replace aging buses, and explore promotion/outreach to increase ridership where capacity allows.
