By Joni Simon
Contributing Writer

Look for the school bus to be packed when classes resume Aug. 25, and you can blame it on the high price of gas.

One way parents say they can save money on gas is to no longer drive their kids to school and pick them up, and high school students say $4 a gallon gas is incentive enough to think twice about driving to school.

The result: area school districts say they are planning for every student to be on the bus when classes resume.

“We do anticipate an increase in ridership for buses this year,” said David Uecker, transportation director for the Boerne Independent School District. “We believe the largest increase will occur at the high school level as some students opt to save money by riding the bus to and from school.”

In addition to the soaring gas prices, high school students who don’t drive can’t walk to Boerne-Samuel Champion High School, either. According to Uecker, there is no safe walking route to the new high school.

“That, coupled with rising fuel costs, is the source of the increase in cost of transportation,” Uecker said.

BISD and the Northside Independent School District are adding a few routes to help create space on buses to accommodate the increase in passengers.

“We’ve been adjusting our routes, so we can maximize our routes to the point where we have room for these additional kids,” said Rafael Salazar, who is the transportation director of the Northside ISD, the largest district in Bexar County, which is expecting some 88,000 students this fall.

After the first few weeks of school, Uecker said, BISD is prepared to add routes if ridership increases to a point that requires an additional bus or two. Salazar said NISD probably won’t add any new buses to the fleet, but will instead put more kids in each bus.

“Traditionally, we’ve been squeezing 50 high school kids on the bus. We may have to go more than 60, maybe even 65, at the start of the year,” he said.

State law allows school buses to have as many as 71 students in them, but Salazar said the crowded conditions could lead to problems.

“There might be student management issues, there might be, potentially, other issues, but right now, we’re looking at that,” he said.

BISD drivers receive training on how to handle squabbles and other situations that might occur when high-spirited children are enclosed together.

“Whenever you place many people in a small area for an extended amount of time, you run the risk of discipline problems,” Uecker said. “We train our drivers to handle various situations on the bus and will continue to increase our training efforts to prepare for any situation.”

Salazar said while Northside is planning for full bus loads the first week of school, the crowds may ease off once the school year gets into full swing. Northside has four strategically located transportation stations, so that neighborhood children can be transported to neighborhood schools to reduce both mileage and fuel costs. The routing department also reviews bus routes year-round to consolidate and improve efficiency, resulting in fewer miles and less cost, according to NISD Superintendent Dr. John Folks.

In addition, Northside station managers ensure fueling is done in the early mornings or late afternoon and idling is limited to one to three minutes at bus loops and station parking lots, he said.

“We fuel in the morning. Boerne ISD is a no-idle school district. If our students aren’t ready to load, we turn our buses off,” Uecker said. “This saves fuel and reduces emissions.”

BISD is also consolidating stops and enforcing the district’s half-mile walk out policy for bus stops.

“The reduction in stopping time reduces idle time, which reduces fuel consumption,” Uecker said. “This is a big fuel saving. It also shortens our driving miles.” Fuel costs, which have increased an average of 25 percent annually, are hitting NISD hard. District officials expect the costs for 2008-09 to be double that of the last year. To cover the rising cost of fuel, NISD has added more than $1.9 million to the budget over the last four years and expects to add another $1.1 million this coming year.

Folks said relief must come from the state Legislature. He said it’s imperative that lawmakers overhaul the school finance system and at the very least, increase the transportation allotment to realistic levels.

“Operating under the current school finance system, school districts across the state are either already struggling to make ends meet or are preparing for tough financial times ahead,” Folks said.

“The rising cost of fuel only is making matters more difficult. Short of ending bus transportation for students, Northside is doing everything possible to reduce its fuel costs.”

Uecker, who said last year’s fuel costs increased $2 per gallon, agreed.

“This was a very difficult increase to manage,” he said. ”The current transportation budgeting and allocation system has been the same since the 1970s. Prices have increased dramatically in those 30 years. It’s time for legislators to see this and have the courage to fix it.”