Transportation Practices for Public School Parents

Students will not be allowed to ride buses they are not assigned to ride unless it is an extreme emergency. Parents who have an emergency should call the Transportation Department to obtain permission for their child to ride an unauthorized bus.

Disembarking at a stop other than the one assigned
If your student is riding their assigned bus but wants to get off the bus with another student at another stop, then the one assigned to your student, a note signed by the parent, given to and signed by the principal, must be given to the bus driver or your student will not be permitted to disembark the bus at a stop other then the one assigned to him or her.

Emergency Closings
In the event RTM calls an early closing due to inclement weather, RTM transportation will pick up students as soon as possible. Please keep in mind that during inclement weather, the bus will always be later than normal. Do not panic, your child is being safely transported by professionals and you will be notified in the event of a mishap.

Please do not call the transportation department during these times as the office staff is extremely busy contacting drivers and schools trying to coordinate dismissal for over 5000 students. Calling the office at this time ties up the phone lines and causes a delay in the dismissal process. Have patience. Your child's driver is doing the best they can under the worst conditions. Time is not a priority in such conditions, safety is our only priority.

Length of Bus Ride
Although the transportation department makes every attempt to minimize the length of time each student is on the bus, there is no law governing the amount of time a student is limited to being on a school bus. To be fiscally responsible, some bus runs may take longer than others because of the distance from the school. Some runs will have more students than others depending on your home's location and the number of students in your area.

Late to the Bus Stop
RTM requests that all students be at their bus stops five minutes before the bus is due to arrive. If your child misses the bus due to lateness, it is the parents' responsibility to provide transportation for the student. School buses are on a schedule and will not return to a bus stop for students who missed the bus due to lateness.

House Stops
If your bus stop happens to be at your home, make sure your student is waiting at the curb five minutes prior to the bus arriving. Students should not wait inside their front doors until the bus arrives. It is not the responsibility of the driver to look for your student or to wait for your student who is not at the curb when the bus arrives. Buses will not return to your stop if your child is not waiting at the curb.

House Stops and One Person Bus Stops
If your student is not at the bus stop for more then a week, the transportation department will assume that your child is no longer in need of our services and the bus service will stop. The bus will not continue to come down your street to an empty stop and will not resume until we receive a phone call requesting service to continue. In an effort to conserve fuel and taxpayer dollars, the transportation office ask that you notify us in the event your child will not need transportation by calling 610-627-6475.

Also, if your student is the only student at a bus stop, that can be avoided if your student is not attending school. We ask that you call the transportation office when your child is absent.

Kindergarten Parents
In an effort to keep our younger students safe, it is the practice of the RTMSD not to release kindergarten students off the bus unless a parent or other designated adult is in view of the driver. In an emergency, if someone else is meeting your child at their bus stop, please call transportation to let us know. Working together we can keep our children safe.