School Transportation Services: Do charter schools have busses?

SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION

The yellow school bus is one of the most familiar symbols of a school community, and America’s daily fleet of nearly 480,000 school buses transports a third of the nation’s students safely to and from school. This giant school bus fleet is more than two times the size of all forms of mass transit combined, including air, bus, and rail transportation (Bellwether Education), and it is the safest of all modes of transport for children (NHTSA- School Bus Safety).

School Bus Safety

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, children are most likely to arrive safely at school on a bus versus other means of transport because school buses are the most regulated vehicles in the country. They are specifically designed to be safer than other carriers by being brightly colored with yellow paint, bright flashing red lights, and movable stop sign arms. These properties make busses highly visible to other drivers, even in the dark. They are constructed with protective seating to absorb collision impact in addition to being built with reliable rollover safeguards. Children are also protected from drivers sharing the road by the laws that restrict vehicles from passing school buses while students are dropped off and picked up.

How are busses used?

Traditional public school districts offer transportation within the community to children enrolled in their neighborhood schools, magnet schools, and specialty academies – even when they are far from the student’s home. Public school busses are equipped with GPS. Parents can use a school bus route finder and/or a school district bus stop finder through apps like Safestop and Where’s The Bus?. The apps track the real-time movement of the school bus and provide accurate arrival times and any emergency delay information.

Busses are also widely used for students during field trips, sporting event transportation, and special event transit.

Do charter schools have busses?

When choosing a school, many parents ask, “Do charter schools have busses?” While some charter schools may offer transportation, not all do. Some private schools may also offer transportation through donations and tuition funds, but it’s not required. An article relating to school choice on The Brookings Institution website comments, “A family can’t choose a school if their children can’t get there.” Therefore, transportation offered by a school is often a critical part of the decision making process.