Plan introduced to cut time Kentucky students spend riding school buses

FRANKFORT - Lawmakers introduced a bill Monday that they say could reduce the amount of time Kentucky students spend riding the school bus each day.

Senate Bill 92, introduced by Democratic Sens. David Yates and Robin Webb, would allow for the use of "non-school bus vehicles," which they say would save school districts money, make routes more efficient and improve safety for children.

During a press conference Monday afternoon, Yates said the bill is supposed to help cut "red tape" and and let school districts make decisions to improve their own routes.

"This is really important because I believe in the local government, the school district to be able to make their own decision what's best for their for their kids and for their own individual route," Yates said.

District-owned and district-leased vehicles like vans would be able to transport nine or fewer students to and from school and for approved school activities under a alternative transportation plan approved by the Kentucky Department of Education.

Yates said he's talked with the Education Department about this bill since August.

The bill comes amid a shortage of bus drivers, which has affected districts across the nation as well as in Kentucky.

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The shortage caused Jefferson County Public Schools, the state's largest district with 96,000 students, to change its transportation system at the start of this school year with disastrous effect. Although the changes cut the number of routes by roughly half, the implementation went awry and a mass of students didn't get home for hours.

JCPS has made fixes to the system, but as of Nov. 13 it had 575 drivers to cover 568 bus routes, transporting about 68,000 of its students.

John Stovall, president of Teamsters 783 that represents JCPS bus drivers, said that he supports the bill and JCPS is already using vehicles like vans to transport students.

The bill has been assigned to the Senate Transportation Committee.

Reporter Olivia Evans contributed to this report. Reach reporter Hannah Pinski at @hpinski@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @hannahpinski.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Non-school buses could transport Kentucky students under SB 92