Duval County School Board gives transportation update

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Duval County School Board gave a presentation on transportation Tuesday morning.

The presentation updated the average age of school buses and how much each bus costs the school district. 

The school board said:

• The average age of the bus fleet in Duval County is about 5.8 years, which is the youngest of the seven biggest school districts in Florida. 
• Duval County Public Schools contracts with several bus providers, and each contract says a bus has to be a certain age in order to have the latest safety features.
• Each school bus costs about $100,000. 
• Additionally, about $58 million is being requested this year for transportation.

The school board also discussed the idea of partnering with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority. But some concerns raised included costs for students and JTA not being able to adjust routes or times.

Several board members seemed interested in meeting with JTA in the near future to discuss possible ways to partner and give students and parents as many transportation options as possible.