Ohio failing to meet students’ transportation needs, work group concludes

Ohio’s school transportation system must adapt to meet the changing needs of students, a state work group concluded in a recent report.

“The draft, written by an outside consultant, reiterates that opinions vary on exact fixes,” WOSU Public Media reported. “But several suggestions appear to have consensus: that the state needs to provide more funding for school transportation and that the current system is not working for public, private or charter school students.”

State law requires public school districts to provide bus or van transportation to all K-8 students who live more than two miles from the school they attend, WOSU reported, and to transport private-school students who live up to 30 minutes away. More than 140,000 Ohio students use school choice programs to attend private schools, representing about 8% of the state’s K-12 population.

The report described more than 22,000 students as “impractical to transport” because they attend charter or private schools.

If students outside the public school system are considered impractical to transport, districts can offer payments of up to $1,214.29 per student each school year, according to the report.

“But the work group found that those payments are not enough for families to obtain adequate transportation. … The work group argues transportation reform is needed to cut down on students being late or missing class, reduce the financial burden on schools and make the overall system more fair for students regardless of which school option they use.”

Ohio created the work group in last year’s budget bill to “explore issues related to school transportation.” The group includes officials from charter, private and public schools, WOSU reported.

Student killed near transportation hub

As previously reported by The Lion, public transportation options used by students in Ohio have faced growing security and logistical challenges in recent years.

In April 2025, an 18-year-old student was killed near the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority’s downtown bus hub while traveling to school. As a result, a new state law prohibited students from using public transportation on school-issued passes.

“We had a kid killed down there,” said State Rep. Phil Plummer, R-Butler Twp. “It’s a terrible environment. I would not want my 13-year-old daughter standing down there waiting to transfer buses in that climate.

“You know, you have drug dealing going on down there, you’ve got gangs down there, you’ve got homeless, mental health people down there. It’s not a place for a 13-year-old kid.”

Meanwhile, the state is struggling to address an ongoing bus driver shortage. Only 14.68% of vacancies were filled last fiscal year, according to the report.

“Why are we leaving students without transportation to school?” the report asked. “The situation is complicated, and even the members of the Transportation Workgroup do not agree on the core challenges. However, for Ohio to thrive, all our students must attend school on a regular basis and graduate high school with the skills and knowledge to take productive next steps.”