Regular Service Parameters:

Eligibility

Transportation is available for elementary (Kinder to 4^th) children who live more than one mile from their assigned school and students (5^th thru 12^th) who live two or more miles from their assigned school. The distance is measured along the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads. All Pre-K students are offered transportation services based on their assigned attendance zone and according to their AM/PM schedule. Pre-K transportation to/from school is provided from the closest and safest authorized bus stop location to their home residence.   

Bus stops are carefully reviewed during planning to ensure student safety (lighting, traffic, etc.), routing efficiency and consistency throughout the district.  Bus stops are not placed in locations that require school buses to back up due to safety and liability concerns.

Some students who attend more than one school to participate in programs or classes not offered at their school are transported between schools during school hours. 

Special education students are eligible for transportation if need is established through the Admission, Review, and Dismissal process.

Pick Up time Criteria

Regular transportation attempts to arrive at every bus stop on time. Due to the variances between individual clocks, students are asked to arrive at the bus stop ten minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time. Buses will load students and depart the stop. Regular buses do not wait for late students. Special needs transportation follows much the same criteria but may wait up to 3 minutes at the stop for the student to load. All buses will wait approximately ten minutes at the school in the afternoon for students to board. Students are expected to proceed immediately to the buses. Bus drivers are instructed not to stop or open the door for late students due to safety concerns having students too close to moving bus wheels.

Alternate Pick-up/Drop-off location

SCUC ISD provides transportation from/to a licensed day care facility or the student's grandparent home to a school located within the attendance zone of that location.  You can request that service by filling out the designation of alternate location form and submitting to the school.  If the transportation department authorizes the request, the school will notify the parent of the arrangements. 

Temporary bus passes to a location other than their assigned bus stop location are not allowed.

Daily Service Criteria

Regular transportation is scheduled to provide service to student riders. Bus stops that do not have riders for 3 days may be suspended temporarily for lack of ridership to conserve district resources. Infrequent riders should contact the Transportation Department at 210-945-6224 stating their wish to ride when service is needed if their bus stop has historically low ridership to verify stop time and location.

Bus Route Criteria:

Route Design

Bus routes are created to enhance student safety while maximizing vehicle efficiency. Stops are created that allow students to wait off the main roadway for the bus if at all possible. Stops are also created to minimize students walking in highly traveled roadways for long distances without sidewalks. Bus stops are not placed in dead end streets or cul-de-sacs whenever possible to minimize bus accidents while backing (backing is a very dangerous maneuver for a school bus). Bus stops are spread as far apart as criteria will allow in order to decrease the number of stops each bus will make on its route thus minimizing riding time for the students.

Bus Ridership Capacities

School buses are rated by manufacturers to have capacities based on three riders per seat. SCUCISD has adopted maximum ridership per bus at 3 riders per seat at elementary level, 2 ½ riders per seat at the intermediate and junior high school level and 2 ¼ riders per seat at the high school level.

Home to Bus Stop distance

For Kinder to 4th grade the distance should not exceed one quarter of a mile (440 yards).

For 5th to 12th grade the distance should not exceed half a mile (880 yards).