YAKIMA, Washington — School districts across Washington are confronting rising transportation costs as diesel fuel prices climb 35% in the past year, according to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
The state’s 7,700 diesel school buses logged more than 100 million miles during the 2024-25 school year, OSPI reported. Washington has approximately 4,000 Class C school buses that typically carry 49 to 90 passengers.
In September 2025, filling a 60-gallon tank cost about $301. One year later, that same fill-up costs around $408—a $107 increase per tank.
Multiply that across thousands of buses, and the financial strain becomes clear. “As transportation budgets continue to balloon, more schools will need to make cuts, potentially impacting critical supports for student success,” OSPI stated.
Yakima schools consolidated bus routes, reduced trips, and increased student capacity per bus to lower diesel consumption. However, not all districts have this flexibility.
Rural areas with spread-out populations may struggle to consolidate routes without leaving students with longer commutes.
As the school year begins, families and schools face hard choices about balancing transportation needs with limited budgets.
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