You feel it at the pump. So does your school district.
The war has a bus fare.Your district is paying it.
Diesel prices have surged since the war with Iran began. Here's what today's price could add to every Michigan district's bus fuel bill this year, compared with 2023–24.1
Extra bus diesel cost for every Michigan school district
Every district that reports fuel is paying moreHit → Hardest hit
Tap a district to see its cost. In crowded areas, use the search box at the top of the page or the Table view.
Shaded by the extra cost as a share of each district's own budget. Each shade holds about a quarter of the districts with an estimate.
Gray: fuel isn't fully reported as its own line. Most of these districts still pay more.2
How the number is built
FY24 bus fuel spend × (today's diesel price ÷ FY24 average price) − FY24 bus fuel spend = extra cost
Fuel spend comes from each district's own report to the state. It's an estimate: it assumes districts run about the same routes they did in FY24. It compares today's price with the 2023–24 average. Diesel was a little cheaper than that just before the war with Iran began, so the estimate doesn't overstate how much costs have risen since the war started. Most of a Michigan district's operating money is a per-student amount set by the state. Districts can't vote in higher local taxes on their own to cover a cost like fuel, so every extra dollar for diesel comes out of a budget that's already set.5