This year, there is no ceiling for the pricing of the school transportation service. It is now closer to a stock market, directly tied to fluctuations in fuel prices, which are themselves linked to the exchange rate of the US dollar that determines what schools can charge parents. While most schools have not yet finalized the transportation fees, waiting for all educational stages to enroll, the situation is becoming nearly clear: a shift towards dollarization. Thus, most private schools have cut through the process and joined the black market, forcing parents to pay fees in "fresh" dollars or based on the dollar exchange rate "day by day." As for schools that kept their pricing in Lebanese pounds, they did not announce it as final throughout the school year, but subjected it to "periodic discussions for adjustments in line with price fluctuations and the high cost of living," as stated by a source in a private educational institution. Therefore, these schools informed parents at the time of registration that the transportation fees were not final "and are subject to adjustment with any sudden rise in the dollar exchange rate and consequently fuel prices." This year's decisions have caused "confusion for schools, as in the past we would settle transportation fees at the start of the year and that would be the end of it, but today we find ourselves in a monthly discussion with management and drivers, taking into account the economic conditions of parents." Nonetheless, "often the decisions we make are unsatisfactory for both drivers and parents." The consequences include numerous grievances from both sides. In this context, one official responsible for transportation at the Al-Mahdi School institution noted that "there has never been a year with grievances like this year," and the current fear is the possibility of the school year halting "due to parents reaching a point where they can no longer afford transportation fees."
Several factors influence schools' estimation of transportation "fees." While there are common factors, there are also other reasons that make pricing... variable. Schools often share basic factors such as fluctuations in the US dollar exchange rate in the market, vehicle mechanics and maintenance, as well as drivers' salaries. The other factors differ from one school to another, such as "insurance contracts for drivers that are now being paid in fresh dollars, the bus capacity and model, as this affects spare parts prices, and the drivers' profitability, especially in the case of contracts, meaning we don’t own the vehicles," as stated by one of the transportation officials. The drivers' profitability has its calculations, as the amount that drivers accepted last year is no longer acceptable this year due to an important reason: living costs. The hundred dollars that sufficed for a week's living last year now only cover two days this year, according to Suhair Zain, Director of the Research and Educational Development Center at the Islamic Charitable Association. This "dissatisfaction" also reflects on the accompanying teacher in the bus, as this teacher, who accepted 500,000 Lebanese pounds last year, now needs multiples of that amount.
Because these factors are flexible, so too is the pricing. Schools have used these factors as an excuse to impose pricing that keeps them "profitable." Thus, from the schools' perspective, this sheet resembles tuition fees in terms of profitability, even if the excuse is continuity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the fee for the school transportation service ranges between 450,000 Lebanese pounds monthly at one school and reaches up to 70 US dollars at another! Additionally, this pricing is not uniform even within the same school, as it varies depending on the area of residence and distance. Therefore, most schools have divided regions into routes and squares, meaning that the fare for the first area differs from that of the last area. In this context, one transportation official in a school in the Baabda area pointed out that "the transportation fare in the area close to the school ranges between 450,000 and 700,000 Lebanese pounds, while in the farthest area served by school transportation, it reaches between 1,200,000 and 1,600,000 Lebanese pounds monthly." In US dollars, the monthly tariff differs between 41 and 70 dollars, and annually between 500 and 1500 dollars!
Moreover, transportation fees are not the same between Beirut and the regions. This difference is attributed to "purchasing power," where costs rise more in cities. Even among regions, the fee varies from one area to another, "what is charged in the Bekaa is not the same as what applies in the south, and what applies in Baalbek, for instance, is not the same as that for Hosh al-Rafika, where prices also differ," says one official in the Bekaa, noting that "costs in some areas range monthly between 300,000 (Lebanese pounds) and the price of a tank of gasoline!"
As for why this happens, it is due to "the unlimited power of school cartels," according to sources in the Ministry of Education. What reinforces this power is that, by law, "the Ministry of Education has no authority over private schools, and the most it can do is monitor, which does not even occur."
This reality costs parents, who today find themselves facing two main challenges: the challenge of paying school fees, half of which have become in fresh dollars, and the challenge of paying transportation fees, which now match or exceed school fees in some schools. Faced with this reality, struggling parents are searching for cheaper solutions, with some turning to "small buses." In this context, Zainab said, "We decided this year to send the kids by vans; true, they aren't very safe, but they're more economical than joining school transport." Zainab calculates "on paper," noting that instead of paying "millions, we pay hundreds of thousands and save what remains to cover the fees." Meanwhile, Leila has chosen another option: to drive her children herself, transporting "two or three classmates in exchange for a tank of gasoline for each student monthly." This option is currently the most popular among parents, with parent groups overwhelmed with "calls" of this nature to reduce costs. The second most common option is transferring from one school to another closer to home, which some school administrations have noticed, as relayed by Suhair Zain from the Charitable Association: "We have observed transfers between branches of schools in the association, where parents transfer their children from one branch to another closer to home or less costly."
