Houston Independent School District Reduces Bus Routes to Reduce Travel Times and Costs in School Transportation System

HOUSTON – The Houston Independent School District announced it is making adjustments to its school transportation system.

The district said the move is intended to minimize the time students spend on the bus, improve the efficiency of their transportation system and ensure the district can continue to provide transportation to all HISD families accessing their school choice options.

“Prior administrations have spent over $50 million on transportation infrastructure to transport approximately 9,000 zoned and choice students to school. This is not sustainable and the district must begin addressing the issue in the 2024-25 school year,” a district statement read.

The statement said these improvements were guided by a few key principles:

• HISD is one of the only districts in the region that provides transportation for students who choose to attend a school outside of their zoned area. HISD will continue to provide transportation to families who participate in our school choice program.

• HISD needs to reduce travel time for our school-chosen students.

• HISD needs to use transportation resources more efficiently.

The following changes have been made for the 2024-25 school year, according to the release:

• Reduction in the number of bus lines from 508 lines in 2023-2024 to approximately 423 lines in 2024-2025.

• The average commute time for a student is now one hour and fifteen minutes each way, compared to one hour and forty-five minutes previously.

• HISD expects to reduce total transportation costs by $10 million this school year. Streamlining routes will save approximately $3 million. Additional savings will come from improving how we dispatch and manage buses.

Families using HISD transportation can expect the following, according to the statement:

• Students who attend their zoned school and use transportation as well as students with special educational needs who require transportation will be served as they have been.

• HISD will continue to provide transportation services to students attending a school through the school choice program, but school choice routes will be slightly modified. Students’ bus stops will now be located within a three-mile radius of the student’s home. (Previously, the radius was two miles.)

• Most of the approximately 3,000 students who use HISD transit will be assigned a stop at their zoned high school or middle school, and a bus will transport them to the school of their choice. In some cases, to ensure students do not cross dangerous lanes, students will access a bus stop that is not located on another HISD campus.

• Families will receive their bus routes by the end of July and will immediately be able to access a transportation helpline closer to where they live.