FRANKFORT, Ky. — Some state Senators want to do more to improve student transportation in Kentucky. State Sen. David Yates, D-Louisville, held a news conference on Monday, Jan. 29, to speak about his bill, Senate Bill 92. Filed earlier this month, it would allow districts to use vehicles other than school buses to get kids to and from school. 

What You Need To Know

  • A recently filed bill would allow students to be taken to and from school in vehicles other than buses

  •  Districts could use vehicles that don’t require a commercial driver’s license to drive, like a van

  • Those kinds of vehicles can already take students to extra-curricular activities

  • Its sponsor believes it will help both urban and rural districts

“It’s inefficient to have the school bus all the way across the county for one or two students when different school districts can find more efficient routes,” said Yates.

Yates says transportation issues affect districts both urban and rural. So does a shortage of drivers. 

SB 92 would allow students to be transported in smaller vehicles, like vans. Drivers would also not need a commercial driver’s license. Currently, school staff can use those kinds of vehicles to take kids to extra-curricular activities like sports, but can’t take them from school to home. 

“We know the transportation system in Kentucky right now is strained,” Yates said. “We don’t have enough CDL drivers. This is a way to help alleviate that strain and make it a little bit safer for our children, more cost-efficient and faster.”

Yates adds those drivers would still be held to the same safety standards as bus drivers are now. 

As for support for this bill from Republicans, “I haven’t had anyone say that sounds like a bad bill,” Yates added.

Last year, student transportation woes in Kentucky gained national attention after a challenging first day of school in Louisville. Some Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students did not get home on the first day until nearly 10 p.m. The district then canceled school for several days to sort out issues caused by a new bus route management system.

The school disruption led to a group of Republican lawmakers to release an open letter to the district, expressing concerns about the situation. 

The current version of the Republican-backed House budget does increase funding for school transportation, but does not fully fund it. The budget proposal also includes funding for an audit of JCPS.  

That situation led Yates to put this bill together. 

Yates says this bill gives districts more options when the legislature has not committed to fully funding transportation. 

“This is an opportunity to allow our community to better engage, to help our kids get to and from school faster, safer in a more efficient manner,” Yates said.

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