Penn Hills School District announces changes to student busing in an effort to save on transportation costs
PENN HILLS (KDKA) - The Penn Hills School District, in an effort to save on transportation costs, has said they are planning to reconfigure student busing.
The plan, according to the district is to reconfigure many of its bus routes. They said they would save nearly $411,000 in transportation costs by changing the routes.
"The district analyzed a variety of scenarios during its study and determined that our financial plan maximized both safety and savings," said Penn Hills School District Chief Financial Officer, John Zahorchak.
Penn Hills conducted an internal study over several months and came to the conclusion that money could be saved by combining several routes as well as outsourcing others.
The district would outsource "a handful" of routes to Pittsburgh Regional Transit, aiding in the savings.
However, all elementary school students in grades K-5 will continue to utilize district buses that Krise Transportation operates.
Penn Hills has said that in recent years they have incurred higher transportation costs compared to most other districts in Allegheny County. In 2022, they totaled more than $7 million in transportation costs.
That more than $7 million pricetag averaged out to just under $2,000 per student.
"To manage taxpayer funds efficiently and address the statewide bus driver shortage, the district opted to reconfigure its transportation strategy while prioritizing student safety," the district said in a news release. "Last year, the district operated 92 buses to transport its students to school every day."
The changes are expected to begin this coming school year.