High cost of fuel hits school buses

NEW YORK, July 10 (UPI) -- The high price of gasoline is taking a toll on U.S. school buses, forcing more students to walk and some schools to cut classes, education officials say.

"All the less drastic measures have pretty much been exploited," Robin Leeds of the National School Transportation Association told USA Today.

With gas costs up 35 to 40 percent since last year, at least 86 school districts have pared down to four-day weeks to save on bus fuel, the National School Boards Association reports.

Schools across the nation are making more students walk to school and are cutting bus service for extracurricular activities.

Busing advocates warn that cutting basic bus service and forcing students to find new ways to get to school jeopardizes safety.