Yellow buses no more: Cincinnati Public Schools 7th and 8th graders to take Metro in fall

Editor's note: This story has been updated with the correct number of votes for the bus plan.

Seventh and eighth graders will take public transportation to and from Cincinnati Public Schools starting in the fall.

Five school board members voted for this change during a business meeting Monday evening . Members Kendra Mapp and Mary Wineberg, the members who didn't vote for it, were not at the meeting.

The board has been working for seven months to close a multimillion dollar budget gap. Former superintendent Iranetta Wright proposed reducing yellow bus routes early on in the budget process, but the board shot it down multiple times because of its unpopularity among community members and safety concerns.

On Monday, less than one month from the first day of school, the board voted to change the district's transportation plan. The move eliminated the remaining $6.2 million budget gap.

Seventh and eighth grade students used to ride Metro buses when Metro had specialized school routes. When the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority eliminated those special routes in 2021 , the district opted to place seventh and eighth graders on yellow buses. Parents of those students could still opt into Metro.

More: No more student Metro buses: SORTA and CPS leadership release joint statement

Now, all seventh and eighth graders will ride Metro on existing, regular public routes.

Here's what you need to know.

How many students does this change impact?

Last year, 1,814 seventh and eighth graders rode yellow buses.

How many yellow bus routes are being cut?

About 106.

How much money is the district saving with this change?

Moving seventh and eighth grade students to Metro saves the district $9.1 million.

How many opted into Metro last year?

1,119 students opted into Metro service last school year.

Are there any exceptions?

Yes.

Students who require special accommodations will receive yellow bus service.

Additionally, students in grades three through 12 at Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students will remain on yellow buses.

Students in seventh and eighth grades at K-8 elementary schools will also utilize yellow buses. That includes Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies, Hartwell, Academy of World Languages, Roberts and Roselawn.

What about Oyler and Riverview students?

Seventh and eighth graders at Oyler and Riverview will use Metro.

Will families have an opportunity to practice their child's route with their child before school starts?

Yes. These dates are not yet available.

Will kids have more than one bus transfer in this new system?

No student will have more than one transfer, according to the school district. Most students will not have any transfers.

What about safety?

Safety was top of mind for board president Eve Bolton on Monday. She was also concerned that public school students had fewer transportation options than parochial students and charter school students, as Ohio law requires those students be transported by yellow buses.

There were issues in February as several attacks involving teenagers were reported in Downtown around the time school let out, as kids transferred buses. But Metro told The Enquirer at the time that most students don't need to transfer buses at all. Metro said just 200 kids transferred at Government Square in the afternoons.

More: 'I don't know where I'm at.' One student's first-day-of-school Metro journey

The Enquirer asked Cincinnati Public Schools about anticipated safety measures the district might provide on Metro buses during the school year. That information will come later, according to the district.

Brandy Jones, chief communications and marketing officer for Metro, said Metro staff will be at all school orientation sessions to help families with trip planning and answer questions.

"Staff will also be stationed at Government Square and Northside Transit Center as well as major connection points during the first few days of school to assist families," Jones wrote to The Enquirer. "We believe that CPS' decision to add the remaining 7 ^th & 8 ^th graders to our system is testament to our superb safety record and robust and efficient routing options available to CPS families."

The Enquirer will follow this story and provide more details on Cincinnati Public Schools' transportation plan in the coming weeks.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Yellow buses no more: Cincinnati Public Schools 7th and 8th graders to take Metro in fall