Back in April, annual Town Meeting voted to make taking the school bus a more affordable option for parents of student in the Lexington Public Schools, and those parents have until the end of this week to take advantage of that option.

Following the passage of Article 17, lower prices for riding the bus include costs of $300 per student and a family cap of $750. The town appropriation of $316,250 trimmed the per-student price from $550 per student in an effort to increase ridership and decrease traffic during drop-off and pick-up times.

According to the LPS website, the school bus costs about $1.65 per student, per day. It’s a small price to pay for safety and convenience, bus advocates say.

“It’s been proven that the safest way for any student to be transported to school is the school bus,” said Judy Croker, the town’s Safe Routes to School maven. “For the safety of the entire community, please consider putting your student on the bus.”

With a few days remaining before the end of bus registration, it’s too early to tell if Town Meeting’s move to mitigate the cost of bussing has had any impact on ridership, but advocates are feeling optimistic. 

In addition to lower rates for riders, a few other new benefits include expanded Flexpass privileges for high- and middle-schoolers, and a probable after-school destination stop for elementary-schoolers. 

There is not a penalty this year for late registration, but after June 15 buses will be contracted and seats will be on a space-available basis. Visit lexingtonps.schoolwires.net/page/659 to register.