Talawanda busing changes leave families looking for alternative transportation

Transporting children to and from school can be one of the biggest challenges parents face. While school buses can help parents with this problem, some Talawanda students don’t have this option.

The Talawanda School Board’s decision to pass ‘one-tier’ busing in March 2023 eliminated busing for high school students and children within two miles of the school they attend. The decision left some children without rides, forcing some to walk to school or even consider homeschooling.

Due to the high demand for student transportation, Talawanda alumnus Brian Urell decided he wanted to do something about it. Urell, owner of Fedora Transportation, initially created his company to generally aid those in need of transportation in Oxford, but he has since expanded its services to include Talawanda students.

“There are a lot of people in Oxford that need access to transportation for any number of reasons, whether it's a disability or financial constraints, it could be a lot of different things,” Urell said.

Before Talawanda’s busing cuts, Urell’s clientele mainly consisted of Miami University students.

“When I was coming up with the concept for the business, it was going to be primarily student-oriented, but not exclusive to students,” Urell said. “If I prevent them from driving drunk, and give them another alternative where they can plan ahead with that, then that takes it from putting other people at risk, to knowing that you can go out and come home safe.”

Now, Fedora Transportation offers rides to Talawanda students for $10 per trip. Although the demand for transportation increased after the decision, Urell said he has enough vehicles to help those students who need transportation.

“If I can put those vans to work during the day and also use them at night, it's a more efficient use of that resource,” Urell said. “It also presents an opportunity for me to provide access for people, again, who don’t necessarily have it or have time constraints, to be able to provide service, to take kids to school.”

Urell said he understands that many parents may have safety concerns with the service. He said all vehicles go through inspections twice a year and are equipped with dual cameras to ensure his clients’ safety as well as to make sure policies and regulations in place are being followed. .

“If there’s an accident or something like that, then we can determine who’s at fault based on the video footage,” Urell said. “It also looks backwards into the vehicle itself and will be mounted enough to show the driver at all times, so that the parents know that once we pick up the first kid, the driver is never going to get out of the driver’s seat.”

In addition to vehicle safety, Fedora Transportation requires that all drivers go through a criminal background check and must be approved by the Oxford Police Department and the City of Oxford. Drivers are also checked in the National Sexual Predator database.

“I want all the children to be safe and to have a consistent way of getting to and from school,” Urell said. “We’ll pull into the driveway at houses and watch to make sure that the kid gets in through the door and walks inside instead of just dropping them off and then driving away. This can really make a difference in making sure that the kids are safe.”

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

Photo by Austin Smith | The Miami Student

Miami University students are common users of Fedora Transportation. Now, Talawanda students will be using the service more frequently.

Fedora also has policies in place for student conduct. Students must agree to not partake in any drugs, violence, harassment or bring any weapons into the vehicle. Failure to comply will lead to suspension from the service.

Urell said he is frustrated with the board’s decision and sympathizes with parents and students affected by the change.

“I know the struggles that we had,” Urell said. “We went through pay to play, [and] we had limited options in terms of field trips that were canceled and other financial constraints for the school district. I would like to see, at some point in the future, the school board go in a different direction.”

Although the cost may be high for families, Urell said he is looking for other ways to make the price of his rides less burdensome.

“I know that parents have their own financial constraints,” Urell said. “Asking for someone to pay $100 a week for me to drive their kid to and from school is a cost. If I can find grant money for that, then I’ll use the grant money towards that and be able to alleviate some of the financial burden on them and still be able to provide service.”

Fedora Transportation is expected to start running the first van for high school students during the winter. While the business is still in the building phase, it aims to continue chasing down leads to meet the community’s needs.

Urell said he is open to community support and is inspired by the business’s potential to support the community.

cwiakag@miamioh.edu