Transportation Reference Guide
- Bus Safety Features
- Changes in Route, Time of Pick-Up
- Change of Address
- Contacting the Transportation Office
- Elementary Afternoon Bus Riders - Tips
- Eligibility, Bus Stop Rules, and Other Policies
- Emergency Exit Drills
- Emergency Transportation
- High School Students - Transportation Service Eligibility
- Ice and Snow Emergency Schedules
- Late Buses/Missed Buses
- Parents/Guardians Riding Buses
- Service Complaints/Commendations
- Space Availability Form
- Stop Change Request
- Student Pick-Up Time
- To and From Bus Stops
- Video Cameras and Video Boxes
- Visiting Students
Transportation Reference
Bus Safety Features
Our buses are equipped with high back seats padded to form a seating compartment designed to protect the students in the event of a sudden stop. This approach has proven more effective than seat belts. Additionally, crossing arm gates are installed on the front of all yellow school buses as an added safety feature.
Changes in Route/Time of Pick-Up
All route changes will be completed through the Transportation Office as needs arise. Parents and students will receive one day prior notification before any changes are implemented.
Change of Address
If you move be sure to contact the SPS Service Center immediately at (206) 252-0760. They can advise you of your options. Students assigned to ride Metro transit buses can check their Metro routes on line. Click here to view the Metro Online Trip Planner at Metro Online Tools.
Contacting the Transportation Office
Always have your Student I.D. number and Bus Route number available when contacting Transportation. You can contact the Transportation Office via email, telephone, or mail.
Email: transdept@seattleschools.org
We strive to respond to all emails within one business day.
Telephone: (206) 252-0900
When calling, be prepared to provide your student's route number and identification number which are found on your assignment notification.
We receive the highest number of calls when our buses are on the road, between 7:00-9:00 a.m. and 2:30-5:00 p.m. Late and missed buses, cancellations, and resumes for special programs are priority calls during these hours. If you have questions or comments that are not urgent, please wait to call during the hours when the buses are not operating.
Elementary Afternoon Bus Riders - Tips
The first days of riding the school bus can be very exciting for young students and their parents. Our drivers are committed to ensuring that children arrive at their destinations safely, and they spend the first few weeks of school getting to know the names and faces of students on their bus. Our drivers need your help in ensuring that your children become famliar with the bus they are supposed to ride and which bus stop they are supposed to use. Below are a few hints to help you and your student adjust to riding the school bus in the afternoon.
Afternoon service from school:
Parents should be aware that it is District policy that students will be let off the bus at their assigned stops with or without someone present to meet them. This includes Kindergarten students. However, drivers are instructed to make sure students are comfortable about getting off the bus without someone to meet them. In certain circumstances, if a student appears unsure about getting off the bus, the bus driver will keep the student on board and contact dispatch for instructions.
What you should do to prepare your child:
- Visit the bus stop with your child and review the key characteristics of the location.
- Practice the walk to and from the bus stop.
- Discuss what your child should do in the event that he/she misses the school bus.
If you plan to meet your child at the stop in the afternoon:
- Instruct your child to inform the us driver that he/she should not get off the bus without someone present to meet him/her.
- Develop a backup plan your child should follow in the event that he/she does get off the bus and you are not there, such as go to a nearby neighbor or friend's home.
- When your student is going to a daycare stop in the afternoon, visit the designated stop location prior to the first day and review the daycare's procedure for receiving students along with a representative of the daycare.
- Whenever possible, wait at the designated stop location on the first day the student rides to reinforce the procedures you have established.
Printer-Friendly Tips for Elementary Afternoon Bus Riders
Eligibility, Bus Stop Rules, and Other Polices
Transportation Service Standards for 2012-13
Emergency Exit Drills
Two emergency exit drills are required on each bus during the school year.
Emergency Transportation
If a student is ill, he or she should not be sent to school due to the possibility of infecting other students. If a student becomes ill in school, the parent or guardian will be requested to come to the school to pick up the student. In emergency situations, special transportation may be provided by the District to an address within the District. The request for this service must originate from the school and there must be an adult at the address to receive the student.
High School Students - Transportation Service Eligibility
Most high school students who are eligible for transportation receive a Metro pass (or ORCA card) for use on regular Metro bus routes. Some high school students receive transportation on a designated school bus. This includes some students assigned to the World School, some special education program students, and some students in geographic areas with limited Metro bus service.
Seattle Public Schools has worked in partnership with King County Metro to phase in all high school students as Metro riders beginning September 2006 through September 2008. Currently all high schools utilize Metro for their primary to & from regular program transportation. Some geographic areas with limited Metro service currently require supplemental school bus transportation. One such area is the South Park region that requires supplemental school bus service to Chief Sealth & West Seattle high schools. Cleveland High School also receives supplemental school bus service in certain areas due limited Metro service from their school location.
Supplemental school bus service is also provided when transportation-eligible students are unable to use Metro service due to available seat capacity issues. Currently school bus transportation is provided to overcome Metro seat capacity issues for students traveling through the Central District from south to north, i.e. Ingraham & Roosevelt students that live south of I-90. As Metro routes are adjusted to compliment the recent addition of light rail, this supplemental school bus transportation shall be eliminated. Supplemental school bus transportation is also provided to West Seattle HS from areas of West Seattle to overcome similar seat capacity issues serving the immediate neighborhood surrounding the school.
When available, students requesting to ride on a school bus rather than Metro may be assigned to a school bus on a space availability basis. Space availability is defined as five or more seats available below the rated capacity of the bus assigned to the route in question after October 1st of the current school year. This space available transportation, when provided, is only for the school year that it is applied for based on the following criteria: existing stops must be used, access to the stop must be within District assignment criteria, and the granting of space available will not increase cost to the District.
Ice and Snow Emergency Schedules
For the most up-to-date emergency schedules, go to our District home page. Students assigned to Metro Transit, check the Metro Transit Adverse Weather page for service information during adverse weather.
You may also view SchoolReport.org
In early November, snow route information will be mailed to your home. Parents should select the safest alternative stop for their students in the event emergency snow routes are announced. If stations do not mention the Seattle School District, school bus transportation will be operating on regular routes at regular times. Major radio and TV stations will communicate one of three messages for emergency operation. These messages include:
- Schools open on time - buses operating on time on Snow Routes. No door-to-door service. No Head Start. No A.M. or P.M. only Kindergarten
- Two hours late - buses operating on Snow Routes. No door-to-door service. No Head Start. No A.M. or P.M. only Kindergarten
- Two hours late - buses operating on Regular Routes - No door-to-door service. No Head Start. No A.M. or P.M. only Kindergarten.
- Schools closed.
Every effort will be made to operate the routes on time. When appropriate, school buses will be chained. However, ice and snow emergencies create other traffic problems that cause delays. Students should be dressed in warm clothing before they leave for the bus stop and a backup plan should be worked out with the students in the event that the bus is late.
Late Buses/Missed Buses
Drivers will run routes as scheduled. However, due to traffic or other unforseen difficulties, there may be a delay. If the bus is late, your child should remain at the stop. The bus, or a replacement bus will complete the run as soon as possible. In the event the bus is more than twenty (20) minutes late, call us and alternate transportation may be provided. If the student misses the bus because of failure to arrive at the bus stop on time, you will have to provide transportation. Remember... to save time know your route number and student's ID number before you call. A backup plan should be worked out with the students in the event the bus is late. If your student does not arrive home when expected, call your school. If school is closed, call Transportation and we will contact appropriate school personnel and radio the bus driver.
Parents/Guardians Riding Buses
Parents and guardians may ride yellow school buses when involved in a school activity if seating is available, and if requested through the District Transportation Office one day in advance.
Service Concerns/Commendations
Your concerns or commendation will be recorded. Concernss will be investigated. You will receive a call back or a written response if requested.
Space Availability Form
Stop Change Request
Our buses carry up to 65 elementary students. Stops are located to accommodate the most students in one area. This may result in up to a .5 mile walk for elementary students and a .75 mile walk for secondary students.
The walk route for elementary students will not cross a major arterial. If it is necessary to change a stop, or put in a new one, the pick-up time for every student on the route may change.
If you have a concern about the location of a stop, because of traffic or crime and illicit activities in the neighborhood, please call the Transportation Office and a Stop Change Request Form will be mailed to you.
Student Pick-Up Time
Students should be at their assigned bus stop at least five (5) minutes before scheduled pick-up time.
To and From Bus Stops
Parents are responsible for student safety to and from bus stops. Students should be reminded to follow the rules for pedestrians, crossing streets only at intersections using cross walks and traffic light controlled locations where provided.
Video Cameras and Video Boxes
A number of our school buses are equipped with video boxes in which we can place cameras to monitor student behavior. We have found the cameras to be valuable for driver training and for resolving student management issues.
Visiting Students
If a student wishes to visit or be visited by another student and rides the school bus, a temporary bus card (green card) should be requested at the school for this purpose. Authorization for riding the school bus is based on space availability.