Transportation is available for children who live two miles or more from their assigned school. The distance a student lives from their assigned school is measured using the shortest route that may be traveled on publicly maintained roads between the entrance to the campus and the property line of the student's legal residence.  Students residing within two miles of their assigned school may have transportation available if their neighborhood qualifies as hazardous under the district's hazardous transportation rating system.

Some students who participate in vocational programs or classes not offered at their school are transported between schools. 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 and changing traffic patterns, students are asked to arrive at the bus stop 5 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time.  Buses will load students and depart the stop.  Regular buses do not wait for late students under most circumstances. 

All buses will wait 10 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.

Bus routes are created to enhance student safety while maximizing route 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. It is the parents responsibility to supervise their children between their home and the bus stop and while at the bus stop.  Any Kindergarten/Pre-Kindergarten student(s) who cannot be released to a parent / responsible adult will be taken to the school office.  Stops are not placed in dead end streets whenever possible to minimize bus accidents while backing (Backing is a very dangerous maneuver for a school 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.

Elementary students may be required to walk up to 1/4 of a mile to a bus stop. Secondary students may be required to walk up to 1/2 of a mile. Bus routes are designed to limit student ride time to no more than 55 minutes one-way if at all possible, however, most students ride under 30 minutes one-way.

The above design criteria is for regular students only.  Students in special programs are subject to different design criteria.  Contact the Transportation Special Needs Office at 657-8815 for additional information.

School buses are rated by manufacturers to have a capacity based on three riders per seat. North East ISD has adopted goals for ridership per bus at 65 riders at elementary levels, 55 riders at middle school levels, and 50 riders at high school levels.  While these are our goals, there may be times when ridership exceeds these numbers.  However, ridership will not be allowed to exceed the manufacturer's rated maximum carrying capacity.