2025-2026 Fare Busing Parent Letter

March 26, 2025

Dear Fare Busing Families,

We want to inform you of important updates to our Fare Busing Guidelines for the 2025-2026 school year. These changes are part of our broader efforts to align with the Plano ISD Long Range Facility Plan and address financial shortfalls and long term sustainability in our transportation services.

Background on Fare Busing

Historically, Plano ISD has offered Fare Busing to students living within two miles of their assigned campus when resources allowed. Over time, this has resulted in the addition of 13 routes to meet demand. However, an audit conducted by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) in 2023 revealed that each of these additional bus routes costs the district approximately $80,000 annually. This is a total additional cost of $1.04 million annually to provide these routes. Unfortunately, the fees collected only cover about $400,000 (or 38.5% of the annual cost). 

Financial Context

Plano ISD’s  transportation budget is $20.6 million, with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) only providing a Transportation Allotment of about $2.5 million for eligible ridership. This leaves a significant budget shortfall of approximately $18.1 million. Compounded by a growing labor shortage in licensed bus drivers and rising inflation, our transportation costs are increasing rapidly.

Changes to Fare Busing

In response to these financial challenges, we are restructuring the Fare Busing Program to a more cost-effective model for the upcoming school year, which is in line with the original intent of the program.

While Fare Busing will continue to be available to students residing within two miles of their designated campus, subject to the following condition :

• It is contingent upon available seating on existing eligible regular bus routes. 
• Once these buses reach capacity, no additional routes will be established for Fare Busing.

If you have additional questions, please contact us through Let’s Talk.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to maintain sustainable and effective transportation services.

Sincerely,

Mark Skinner
Director of Transportation Services