A lawsuit in Franklin County Court has temporarily stopped the state from enforcing the law, which means Dayton Public can issue previously purchased bus passes. Dayton Public has, so far this year, not purchased new bus passes and are using ones bought last school year.
But many parents have chosen other ways for their students to get to school.
Deantre Reece, the parent of Dunbar High School senior, said he takes his son to school in the mornings.
“But do I feel like they should have school buses in the area? Yes, kids need a ride to school,” he said. “Some parents can’t do it. Should the city help provide that? Yes, they should. It’s simple.”
He said he’d prefer that Dayton transfer kids on yellow buses, though.
“If Trotwood can do it, why can’t Dayton?” he said.
Nisha Turner, the parent of a freshman at Dunbar, said her work schedule prevents her from taking her daughter to school. She is using rideshare apps to get her daughter to school and said she doesn’t think she can change her work schedule until late fall.
Turner said the rideshare was “very expensive and scary.”
“There’s been a couple of times she’s been kind of uncomfortable with her Uber driver on her way coming home,” Turner said.
Turner said her daughter has not yet ridden on the RTA bus. In Turner’s first experience, she missed her stop and ended up in Englewood.
Their home is also not close to an RTA stop, Turner said, so her daughter will have to walk several blocks to get to an RTA stop.
“Still, standing outside on the corner waiting for a bus is kind of scary when you’re doing it by yourself,” Turner said. “Especially when school starts so early in the morning.”
She would prefer her daughter be on a school bus, she said.
“I feel like we have a big enough city and they have enough money to where we should be able to fund school buses,” Turner said.
She added, “I feel like it is a big necessity if they want kids to graduate.”
Turner said she doesn’t feel the downtown bus hub is safe early in the morning and said it was not an environment where she would want her kid.
“I hope they get it together soon,” she said.
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