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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Transportation

  1. Who should I call if the bus does not arrive on time?

  2. What information should I have ready when I call?

  3. What are the hours of operation at Transportation?

  4. Will my child have the same driver every day?

  5. Can the driver stop at my house to pick up or drop off my child?

  6. Can I require that my child only be released to me at the bus stop?

  7. To whom should I report my address or telephone number change?

  8. Why is the bus late and why wasn't I called?

  9. How will I be notified of a change to my child's stop time (or stop location)?

  10. I got home late (in PM) and I cannot find my child. The school is closed (no answer). What do I do?

  11. I have a question regarding a bus stop location or pick up/drop time. Who should I call?

  12. If my child uses a wheelchair what do I need to know?

  13. If my child needs a car seat what do I need to know?

  14. My child is enrolled from outside of the boundaries of SDUSD. Can my child receive district transportation to school?

Answers

  1. Who should I call if the bus does not arrive on time?

    Click on the Late Bus Page link on this website. If you do not see your child's bus listed there, you should call your school or Transportation at (858) 496-8460 and press 1 to speak to an Information Clerk.

  2. What information should I have ready when I call?

    You should know your child's route letter/number as well as the school, child's name and stop location.

  3. What are the hours of operation at Transportation?

    The dispatch area is staffed from 5 a.m. until 8 p.m. on school days. Scheduling, Administration, and Safety and Training are available from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

  4. Will my child have the same driver every day?

    Your child may have different drivers for the morning, midday, and afternoon routes. This is necessary since most drivers provide service for at least two trips during every shift. In addition, the variety of school programs and calendars has a severe impact on driver assignments. Similarly, some of the students receiving transportation services are highly mobile and frequently change addresses and levels of service. When these factors are combined with the limited vehicles, drivers, and a variety of contractual constraints, a single student route change can "domino" to impact several routes and drivers. Please be assured that every effort is made, while accounting for these factors, to keep driver changes to a minimum.

  5. Can the driver stop at my house to pick up or drop off my child?For other students, service is provided in accordance with department distance guidelines and is computed using the department's route-scheduling system. Please note, these guidelines only apply to eligible students. Within these guidelines, every effort is made to improve route efficiency by clustering students to stops and, where possible, providing service on major streets.

    Only certain students, whose needs are addressed through an IEP, or 504 plan, are eligible for "curbside" service (see info for additional information). This service is typically restricted to situations where a less restrictive environment is not possible or where medical issues require this type of service.

  6. Can I require that my child only be released to me at the bus stop?

    Only certain designated students, whose needs are addressed through an IEP or 504 plan, are eligible for "must be met" service. For all other students the parent/guardian is responsible for meeting the bus if they deem it appropriate. The parent/guardian should contact the student's school to ensure the names of babysitters, siblings or others who will meet the student are documented at the school.

  7. To whom should I report my address or telephone number change?

    The school should be contacted as soon as possible with address or telephone number change information. Once they have properly recorded this change into the district's database it will take approximately three weeks to implement transportation service changes if appropriate.

  8. Why is the bus late and why wasn't I called?

    Some of the situations that could cause lateness include traffic, road closures, weather, vehicle breakdowns or a late prior route. Since we operate over 300 buses, it is virtually impossible to contact parents when the bus is slightly late. However, we are in radio contact with all of our buses and when we determine the bus will be 30 or more minutes late, we attempt to contact the school.

  9. How will I be notified of a change to my child's stop time (or stop location)?

    The school is responsible for downloading updated TS forms from the department web site when a student's stop assignment or stop time changes. These are reviewed by the school sites, usually weekly, and distributed to the students. You should receive this information in the same manner you receive other information from your school site.

  10. I got home late in the afternoon and I cannot find my child. The school looks closed; there's no answer when I call or knock on the door. What do I do?If the student is not a "must be met" student transportation staff can assist others in locating your child. This may involve contacting school police and/or home contact of school personnel.

    A call to Transportation is usually the best option in these circumstances. "Must be met" students are usually returned to their school if they are not met. If the school is closed and it is after 3:30 p.m., the child may have been taken to Polinski Center in Kearny Mesa. We will exhaust all other possible options before that becomes necessary.

  11. I have a question regarding a bus stop location or pick up/drop time. Who should I call?

    Please contact your school first. Each site has a transportation liaison responsible for coordinating service with the Transportation Department. These liaisons are trained to answer most bus service questions. If the liaison does not know the answer to your question they probably know who to contact and can probably get back to you with an answer. On rare occasions the site liaison cannot help you. In that case, please contact the Transportation Department.

  12. If my child uses a wheelchair, what do I need to know?

    Wheelchairs are transported on San Diego Unified school buses in a forward facing position. If it is possible for your child to transfer to a bus seat, we will do so at your request. If transported in a chair, the chair must have working brakes and functioning footrests, the seat and back of the chair must be properly attached to the chair, the harness and/or trunk support system must be attached and the lap-belt must be "auto" quality and not Velcro. Finally, we remind our drivers that even if the child is independent, the driver or attendant should still be the one wheeling the chair onto the lift. We ask that power chairs be put in the manual position when possible.

  13. If my child uses a car seat what do I need to know?

    The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued guidelines regarding the safe transportation of this age population in a school bus. Based on its research, NHTSA has determined that these children are safest on a school bus when transported in a child restraint safety system or car seat device. The car seats used must be certified and not have been involved in a crash or subject of a recall. To ensure that the seats meet all these criterion, the district, when possible, will provide the seat for the child. If the parent is using their own seat, district personnel will ensure that the seat meets all the necessary certifications. The transportation provider is responsible for ensuring the seat is secured properly in the school bus. If you have any questions regarding your child's car seat, please contact our offices.

  14. My child is enrolled from outside the boundaries of SDUSD. Can my child receive district transportation to school?
    No. SDUSD does not provide transportation services to students who reside outside of our district boundaries.