School districts open the doors on a new year facing the same questions every fall... do we have enough drivers, enough routes and enough budget to keep buses moving? A national survey of transportation directors and operations leaders from Zonar and School Transportation News puts numbers behind what many fleets already feel heading into the 2026-2027 school year in their latest report on Back to School Readiness. 

The workforce pressure behind the numbers 

Driver staffing tops the list of concerns heading into fall. 77% of respondents name driver availability and route coverage as their biggest prep challenge, and the data explains why. The national school bus driver workforce has dropped 9.5% since 2019, a loss of roughly 21,200 drivers, while the median wage for the role sits at $22.45 an hour. Fewer drivers spread across the same routes means dispatchers build schedules with less slack and less room for a sick day or a last-minute resignation.

Most fleets call themselves prepared for the year ahead. 81% report they're prepared or mostly prepared for opening day. Look closer at that number and the picture gets more nuanced with only 15% say they're fully prepared with every system confirmed, while 66% land in “mostly prepared.” Another 18% carry real gaps into the first week of school, the kind that show up as late routes and frustrated parents before the first bell rings. 

Budgets hold steady while costs climb 

Workforce pressure meets a second constraint: money. 60% of districts report a flat or declining technology budget for the coming year, and 10% carry no dedicated tech budget at all. Only 30% saw any increase. Meanwhile, diesel prices climbed 57% year over year, from $3.58 to highs of $5.61 a gallon in 2026, eating into operating budgets that were already stretched thin. 

36% of districts plan no new technology investments this year. Among the 64% that are investing, routing software leads the list at 20%, followed by student ridership tracking at 16%, driver coaching tools at 14% and real-time GPS tracking at 13%. The pattern points to districts prioritizing tools that make existing staff and routes more efficient, ahead of expanding headcount that's hard to find or fund. 

Getting a decision made takes a team 

Buying a new tool takes more than a good case. Just 24% of transportation directors hold final purchase approval on their own. Superintendents sign off 31% of the time, school boards 21% and finance departments 14%. 32% of districts report a procurement cycle of six to 12 months from first conversation to signed contract. 

That timeline changes how transportation directors build their case. 51% point to safety data as their strongest argument for new technology, ahead of the 39% who lead with cost savings or return on investment. Directors making the case internally need both stories ready: the safety case for the board and the financial case for finance. 

What readiness looks like 

The fleets that head into fall with confidence share a few habits. They start staffing conversations early, often months before the first bus route runs. They build the budget case around data district leaders already trust, safety records and cost per mile, instead of treating technology as a hard sell. And they treat procurement as a process to plan around, not a hurdle to clear at the last minute. 

The Back to School Readiness report lays out the full survey findings, including a state-by-state look at driver shortages and a breakdown of how top-performing districts approach budget and procurement. Read the full report: https://www.zonar.com/reports/2026-back-to-school-readiness-report 

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