美国学校系统正面临严重的校车运输危机。根据2025年AP-NORC报告，80%的美国学区因公交司机短缺而受到运输运营影响，73%因预算不足而受到影响[1]。校车司机数量的下降趋势明显，从2019年8月的22.3万人降至2025年8月的20.2万人，跌幅达9.5%[1]。
多个州已采取削减措施应对这一危机。包括亚利桑那、康涅狄格、佛罗里达等在内的多个州已减少或计划减少学生运输服务[1]。俄亥俄州的情况尤为严峻，2025财政年度学生运输成本平均每名学生1,273美元，较前年增长近5%[1]。该州在2016至2025年间公立学区招生数下降近10万人，124个学区预计到2029年将出现负现金余额[1]。俄亥俄州州长Mike DeWine在2025年批准的新立法限制了学区从房产价值增长中获得资金，未来三年将至少减少学校收入17亿美元[1]。在俄亥俄州，哥伦布城市学区负责运送2万名学生到公立学校以及8,000名学生到私立及宗教学校[1]。去年该州有超过2.2万名学生被标记为"不实际运输"[1]。
American school districts nationwide are grappling with a severe transportation crisis, according to a 2025 AP-NORC report.[1] Eighty percent of US school districts are affected by school bus driver shortages, while 73 percent face budget constraints that threaten their ability to operate transportation services.[1] The problem has been compounded by declining enrollment and the expansion of school choice policies, prompting multiple states including Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia to reduce or plan reductions in student transportation.[1]
The shortage of drivers has intensified over recent years. The number of school bus operators dropped from more than 223,000 in August 2019 to 202,000 in August 2025, representing a 9.5 percent decline.[1] In Ohio specifically, the average cost of student transportation per pupil reached $1,273 in the 2025 fiscal year, an increase of nearly 5 percent from the previous year.[1] Public school enrollment in Ohio has fallen by nearly 100,000 students between 2016 and 2025, with 124 school districts projecting negative cash balances by 2029.[1] Further straining resources, Governor Mike DeWine approved legislation in 2025 that limits the funds school districts receive when property values increase, expected to reduce school revenues by at least $1.7 billion over three years.[1]
The consequences are measurable at the district level. Columbus City Schools transports 20,000 students to public schools and 8,000 to private and religious schools.[1] Last year, Ohio marked over 22,000 students as impractical to transport, effectively cutting them off from school transportation services.[1]