It is Marin Transit’s job to move people in a dependable, affordable and convenient fashion around the county.
It shouldn’t matter whether this responsibility is moving adults to and from their jobs or getting children to and from school.
That’s why Marin Transit should be in a position to run Marin’s school bus programs, which are currently run in individual communities under differing governance.
The 2017-18 Marin County Civil Grand Jury took a hard look at the issue and determined that it would make more sense to have Marin Transit run the traffic-relieving “Yellow Bus” programs that have grown around the county.
Having a single agency running the program could possibly save money and reduce fares, the jury concluded.
School buses were once commonplace across Marin, even at a time when they were needed less than they are today.
That changed in the 1970s and 1980s, when school districts faced with Proposition 13 budget cuts and steady declines in enrollment began cutting services, determining that their public money should be invested in classrooms, not transportation.
At the same time, districts were closing neighborhood schools, requiring kids to travel longer distances to get to school.
One example is the Reed Union School District, which went from seven campuses to three and eventually separated them into three grade levels. For example, kids growing up in Belvedere used to be able to walk to Belvedere School. Now, those elementary school kids go to either Reed or Bel Aire schools, the latter of which is more than four miles away.
A similar planning decision occurred in the Kentfield School District with the closure and sale of Greenbrae School, requiring children who would have been within walking distance of that campus to travel to Bacich School.
Getting out of the bus business put parents on the road, driving their kids to and from school, at the same time streets were already busy with commute traffic.
At one time, officials estimated that better than 20 percent of the morning commute-hour traffic was school related. Those using Highway 101 in the morning commute can attest that the traffic is a lot less when school is out for summer.
The grand jury says by promoting ridership on school buses, Marin officials can help make a difference in reducing traffic congestion.
If not on the freeway, Tiburon Boulevard, Point San Pedro Road or Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, school buses could also help reduce traffic at the campuses, where parking and motorists jockeying for position are problems at the start and finish of the school day.
But the grand jury also concludes that it makes fiscal and operational sense to have Marin Transit take over the school bus programs. One reason would be the possible solution of a problem that faces the varied independent programs — a lack of space for parking and maintaining bus fleets.
Finding and acquiring a site is critical to growing the school bus program, agencies running those programs told the grand jury.
Marin Transit, the grand jury concludes, not only is in the best position to find and acquire needed property, but there could be cost savings in having a single management of the school bus programs.
While the grand jury offers a lucid solution, one major question it sidesteps in its report is how this public service is going to be financed.
Providing that management umbrella while also allowing for significant local control in hiring drivers, determining routes and fares are necessities in making this transition work.
But the grand jury’s conclusion is worth a hard look and, hopefully, Marin Transit’s leadership is up for this challenge. School buses are a proven measure to help relieve traffic. Convenient and dependable school bus service also makes sense in terms of safety, the environment and cost, both to taxpayers and parents.
June 20, 2018
Marin Independent Journal
No comments:
Post a Comment