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Fast Facts about School Transportation
If just 20 percent of families living within two miles of school walked or bicycled to and from school instead of driving, it would save an estimated 4.3 million miles of car travel per school day nationally. That adds up to a total of 777 million vehicle miles during a school year - the equivalent of taking over 60,000 cars off the road entirely for a year - and would keep 356,000 tons of carbon dioxide and 21,500 tons of other pollutants out of the nation's air.
Every school day, some 450,000 school buses transport more than 24 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. This makes school buses the largest mass transit program in the U.S.
The United States spends $17.5 billion per year on school bus transportation at an average cost of $692 per student transported.
The average school bus transports 54 student passengers, replacing approximately 36 family vehicles.
By replacing a bus ride with a car trip to school, a parent uses approximately 180 additional gallons of fuel per year, spends an additional $663 on fuel, and puts 3,600 miles on the car.
As much as 20 to 30 percent of morning traffic is generated by parents driving their children to schools.
Half of children struck by cars near schools are hit by parents driving other children to school.
In 1969, approximately 50% of children walked or bicycled to school. Today, fewer than 15 percent walk or bicycle to school.
Returning to 1969 levels of walking and bicycling to school would save 3.2 billion vehicle miles, 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and 89,000 tons of other pollutants - equal to keeping more than 250,000 cars off the road for a year.
Approximately 25 million children and adolescents - more than 33 percent - are now overweight or obese or at risk of becoming so.
Walking one mile to and from school each day generates two-thirds of the sixty minutes of physical activity recommended per day.
(Source: Safe Routes To School National Partnership)