Making the Budget Case for Alternative Student Transportation

District budgets are under pressure, and transportation decisions carry more financial weight than they used to. Use this one-pager to discover key stats that matter for budget planning: the cost of unreliable transportation in staff hours, compliance exposure, and enrollment retention, measured against the return that consistent, specialized transportation delivers. It gives district leaders a data-backed way to justify the investment.

Key Takeaways:

• Fifty-eight percent of administrators spend four or more hours a week resolving transportation issues, time pulled directly from other budget priorities.
• Sixty-three percent of administrators have faced a compliance issue or formal dispute tied to transportation unreliability, a risk with direct financial exposure.
• Consistent transportation supports enrollment retention, and per-pupil funding follows enrollment.
• More than 90% of EverDriven trips arrive within five minutes of the scheduled drop-off, a reliability standard that reduces the operational costs of unpredictability.