SPOKANE, Wash. — As thousands of Spokane students prepare to return to school tomorrow, they’ll notice a significant change waiting at the bus stop: an entirely new fleet of buses equipped with modern safety features.
Spokane Public Schools has purchased 149 new buses for the 2026-2027 school year, marking a major upgrade to student transportation. The most visible change for riders will be the addition of seatbelts — a first for the district’s buses.
The district made the decision to purchase a new fleet now, anticipating that state regulations will make contracted transportation more expensive in the future. Jeremy Shay, Spokane Public Schools’ Director of Transportation, explained the reasoning behind adding seatbelts to every bus. “Not knowing if state law would change at any time about requiring seatbelts and busses, that made sense,” Shay said. “It’s a pretty minimal cost to add them at the time of delivery. So all of our new buses are equipped with seat belts.”…