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Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscal impacts of encouraging walking and bicycling for school travel

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  • Noreen McDonald
  • Ruth Steiner
  • W. Palmer
  • Allison Bullock
  • Virginia Sisiopiku
  • Benjamin Lytle

Abstract

National governments have provided subsidies for investments in increasing the safety and attractiveness of walking and biking to school. Evaluations of Safe Routes to School initiatives have found that they have been effective at changing behavior and reducing injuries. However, there has been little attention to the impacts of these programs on pupil transportation costs. This analysis assesses the potential economic benefits of Safe Routes to School programs in the US context by estimating the annual costs of using motorized transport for short trips to schools, examining real-world examples of the costs savings of SRTS programs, and evaluating land use impacts on school transportation costs using a simulation analysis of school bus routes. We find that there is potential for school districts and families to reduce transport expenditures through public sector investments in walking and biking infrastructure near schools. We also find that land use context matters and the most cost-effective investments would benefit schools where large numbers of children live within walking distance. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Suggested Citation

  • Noreen McDonald & Ruth Steiner & W. Palmer & Allison Bullock & Virginia Sisiopiku & Benjamin Lytle, 2016. "Costs of school transportation: quantifying the fiscal impacts of encouraging walking and bicycling for school travel," Transportation, Springer, vol. 43(1), pages 159-175, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:transp:v:43:y:2016:i:1:p:159-175
    DOI: 10.1007/s11116-014-9569-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McMillan, Tracy E., 2007. "The relative influence of urban form on a child's travel mode to school," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 69-79, January.
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    Cited by:

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    4. Scheiner, Joachim, 2016. "School trips in Germany: Gendered escorting practices," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 76-92.
    5. Karel Frömel & Dorota Groffik & Josef Mitáš & Jan Dygrýn & Petr Valach & Michal Šafář, 2020. "Active Travel of Czech and Polish Adolescents in Relation to Their Well-Being: Support for Physical Activity and Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-13, March.
    6. Benti Geleta Buli & Annika Tillander & Terence Fell & Katarina Bälter, 2022. "Active Commuting and Healthy Behavior among Adolescents in Neighborhoods with Varying Socioeconomic Status: The NESLA Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-13, March.

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