Los Alamos Schools Ask Students to Ride Buses, Support Transit Funding

Los Alamos Public Schools mounted a Ride the Bus Day campaign asking eligible students to use school buses on Monday, Dec. 1, seeking a target of 1,000 riders. The effort tied environmental benefits to a practical budget reality, since the New Mexico Public Education Department requires districts to tally student ridership on two designated days each year to determine school bus transportation funding.

The district emphasized that ridership on those count days drives the formula that funds the LAPS Transportation Department. That funding underpins daily operations, route maintenance, vehicle upkeep, and the ability to provide dependable service for students who rely on buses as their main means of getting to school. For Los Alamos families without consistent access to private vehicles, or for households balancing work and caregiving responsibilities, robust bus service is a critical equity issue.

Beyond budget implications, the Ride the Bus Day had public health and community safety dimensions. Consolidating trips on school buses can cut per student vehicle emissions and reduce congestion near schools, lowering local air pollution and exposure for children and staff. Fewer individual car trips also can lessen traffic risks during peak drop off and pick up times, a concern in communities where sidewalks and crossings vary block by block.

The timing of the campaign matters because districts only receive state transportation funding based on the number of students who ride on the two official count days, once in December and again in February. By encouraging participation in the December count, LAPS aimed to capture an accurate picture of demand and to strengthen the funding position that determines how many resources the Transportation Department will have in the months ahead.

For local residents the outcome will affect service reliability and budgetary choices within the school district. Higher documented ridership can translate to better funded routes and equipment, while lower counts could force difficult trade offs. The campaign underscored how a single day of participation has tangible consequences for school transportation equity, environmental goals, and the safety of students across Los Alamos County.