Report Outlines Barriers to School Transportation for Vulnerable Students

The Equitable Access to Transportation Advisory Council (EATAC) in its first report outlined the elements that prevent equitable access to transportation—a lifeline to opportunity—for students in the United States.

“Extending equitable access to transportation means that first, every child can access transportation; and second, they can access a transportation mode that meets that child’s unique needs, connecting them to school, support services, extracurricular activities, and other critical parts of childhood,” EATAC stated in the report, "Transportation as an Opportunity Lifeline."

Addressing Chronic Absenteeism and Transportation Inequities

Chronic absenteeism and other indications students aren’t regularly attending school, as recently flagged by the Biden-Harris administration, highlight the need for creative thinking around policy change and new solutions. This is one of the driving forces behind the formation of the council, which is made up of 10 experts from various organizations devoted to transportation, child welfare, road safety, community planning, education, and technology.

EATAC identified the following factors leading to disparities in transportation access for vulnerable populations, including students and families facing multiple layers of instability involving socioeconomic factors such as housing, food, or transportation insecurity; restraints in personal mobility; and medical conditions:

• Budget cuts.
• Individualized student needs.
• Policy changes and regulation requirements.
• Systemic inequities.
• Information access.
• Route difficulties.
• Unsafe roads and environments.
• Lack of infrastructure.
• School bus driver shortages.
• Cost of purchasing and maintaining a safe vehicle.
• Distance traveled.
• Inaccessibility.

EATAC’s Vision and Future Policy Solutions

“School rides, and transportation in general, are a lifeline to opportunity in the United States, but not all students have the safe, equitable access they deserve,” EATAC wrote in its report. “While this inequity is systemic and damaging—the result of compounding factors—it does present us with the opportunity to re-examine our traditional ways of doing things.”

After examining the devastating role mobility gaps can play in the lives of the 54 million students enrolled in U.S. schools, EATAC will next offer reasonable solutions and potential new policies in a second white paper.

The Equitable Access to Transportation Advisory Council was established in March 2024, in partnership with HopSkipDrive, a technology company trying to solve complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care.

Founding members of the Equitable Access to Transportation Advisory Council:

• Nadia Anderson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Chief of Staff and Strategy, Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
• Kerry Chausmer, Program and Member Services Director, Governors Highway Safety Association.
• Torine Creppy, President, Safe Kids Worldwide.
• Vanessa Davis, Co-Manager, Foster Youth in Action.
• Natalie Draisin, Director of the North American office, FIA Foundation.
• Kim Dvorchak, National Association of Counsel for Children.
• Robert Enlow, President and CEO, EdChoice.
• Ta’Londa Holland, Senior Director of Policy and Influence, Urban Strategies Inc.
• Zahra Marin, National Policy and Organizing Director, National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI).
• Kristie Stutler, Vice President of Policy and Influence, Urban Strategies Inc.