From the Buncombe County Schools:

Approximately 16,700 students ride 291 school buses each school day on their way to and from Buncombe County and Asheville City Schools. These school buses travel routes covering over approximately 15,000 miles every day, throughout the 660 square miles of Buncombe County.

The ongoing state budget crisis has resulted in continued funding reductions to school transportation departments across the state, including in Buncombe County. If a child is going to ride a school bus to and/or from school anytime this school year, it is very important that he/she ride as many days as possible this week, September 26--October 1, to help secure as much funding as possible to keep our buses on the roads, safely transporting children to and from school each day.

State funding for pupil transportation in each school district is determined by three factors: the number of school buses operated, total expenditures, and the number of students riding. The number of students riding is determined by averaging daily counts of students riding the bus in the morning and evening during the School Bus Ridership Count week, September 26--October 1. How many students ride this week will help determine how much funding our school system receives for transportation from the state. The money goes toward drivers' salaries, fuel, repair parts, and tires. The transportation budget hinges on the student count.

Changes in service (e.g., combined routes, double runs, and a reduction in the number of buses operated) may be required if ridership and/or transportation funding is insufficient to justify our current service schedule.

Parents are encouraged to let their child ride a school bus. The school bus is the safest form of surface transportation. The Buncombe County Transportation Department's mission is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient transportation service to our state’s most valuable resource...our children.