START OF SCHOOL INFORMATION

The start of a new school year is an exciting and busy time for our students and staff, and also for our bus drivers and transportation team. Our priority is getting all students to and from school safely and on time. During the first few weeks of school, the transportation team receives numerous calls and emails about individual student issues that need to be addressed. We will address all issues, but please understand that we will prioritize safety issues first.

When students are assigned to a bus, we estimate the time the bus will arrive at each bus stop based on all the stops on that route, the number of students at each stop, traffic patterns, speed limits, and other factors. Once school begins all of these factors can influence the actual time a bus arrives at a stop, so during the first few weeks of school, we ask that you understand that the times may fluctuate while each bus settles into a normal drive pattern and we have a better understanding of actual traffic, students, and travel times.

During the first few weeks of school, we experience a very high volume of calls and requests and may not be able to answer every call or respond right away. We have established bushelp.northallegheny.org that will be monitored throughout each day to address issues.

If you are looking to change your bus stop, please complete the Bus Stop Change Request Form at bushelp.northallegheny.org

We will also have staff out on the roads and at some schools to assist in making sure students get on the right bus and buses make the right stops.

When contacting our dispatch office, please be prepared with the following information to help us understand your situation:

• Students Name
• Address
• School
• Bus Number
• Expected Pickup or Drop-off time
• Explanation of the issue

The transportation team spends a significant amount of time over the spring and summer preparing new routes, assigning students to bus stops and buses, and making sure we know which students are going to attend which schools. While we strive to make this as accurate and efficient as possible, there are issues that come up once school starts. We are committed to ensuring all students make it to and from school safely, and ask for your cooperation and patience as we work through the challenges that a new school year brings.