DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – The Dayton Public School District will provide yellow bus transportation for all students in grades PreK-12 beginning next school year. This means that high school students will no longer be offered RTA busing to and from class.

The school said this was made possible after the Board of Education voted to approve a contract with First Student, a school bus transportation company that will take over all charter and parochial school routes next year. The district will continue to transport all DPS students, while First Student will transport charter and parochial school students. 

However, the new busing plan will not bus intradistrict open enrollment students who attend DPS schools outside their neighborhood. “Their parents still have to bus them. We’re not changing that policy in any way, because then we’d get back to the situation where we couldn’t handle all the buses we need to handle,” said DPS Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lolli.

For daycare, bus transportation will only happen if the child’s daycare follows a normal school route within the neighborhood. “If I live in the Westwood district, and there’s a daycare on the Westwood route that I ride on, the bus will stop and pick me up and take me to Westwood. We’re not doing crosstown drop off and pick ups either,” said Dr. Lolli.

In addition to daily school routes, DPS buses will now be available to transport students to and from athletic events and class field trips. 

“This change will positively impact all DPS students,” said Dr. Lolli. “Busing students of all grade levels will not only benefit their academic performance, but also their attendance. Without needing to transport non-DPS students, families can also be assured that students will be picked up and dropped off on a regular schedule.”

The school said DPS bus driver positions will not be cut due to the change. Bus drivers are still needed to cover new DPS routes, field trips and athletic transportation. Those interested in applying for a bus driver position can visit daytonpublic.com/careers to learn more.