Proposal Increases Costs for Student Bus Passes at Santa Monica-Malibu Public Schools

By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

April 3, 2018 -- Annual bus passes for Santa Monica-Malibu public school pupils would rise six percent over three years to $1,646 for families with three or more students under a proposal headed to the school board.

Staff cites rising fuel costs as a reason for raising rates for the first time in five years, according to the April 12 agenda for the Board of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD).

“Due to increased transportation and fuel costs, it is necessary to increase bus pass fees for transporting general education students,” staff wrote.

Under the proposal by Neal Abramson, the district’s director of transportation, the yearly passes would increase about two percent in each of the next three years.

Starting in the 2018-2019 school year, the annual pass would cost $642 for families with one pupil, and $1,151 and $1,583 for families with two or three or more students, respectively, the report said.

Low-income families who qualify pay a reduced fee, ranging from $247 for one student to $413 for three or more students.

In the 2019-2020 school year, costs rise for passes to $654 for a family with one student, $1,174 for a family with two students and $1,614 for families with three or more students.

For those who qualify for reduced cost, the passes would be $251, $331 and $421 for families with one, two or three or more students, respectively.

By the following school year, bus passes would increase to $667 for a family with one pupil, $1,197 for a family with two students and $1,646 for a family with three or more students.

The reduced fees that year would be $256, $337 and $429 for families with one, two and three more students, the report says.

The current fees, set in 2013, are $630 per pupil for families with one student, $1,129 for families with two students and $1,552 for families with three or more students. Reduced-cost passes are $243, $319 and $405 for families with one, two and three or more pupils.

In all cases, district employees with students in the district pay less.

Currently, the per pupil cost is $135. It rises to $137, $139 and $141 over the subsequent years, under the proposal.

SMMUSD has about 11,000 students.