Transportation

707: Transportation of Public School Students

708: Transportation of Nonpublic School Students

709: Student Transportation Safety Policy

Who do I call for busing questions, concerns, or changes?
The district Transportation Department at (763) 502-5151. Call this number for general information and bus routing.

Fridley Public Schools contracts bus routes with:

• First Student: 763-421-5785
• Halo: 763-432-6806

If there is a concern about a late bus, lost item or any other question that needs immediate attention.

Why are bus stops at corners or intersections?

• Students are generally taught to cross at corners rather than in the middle of the street. Traffic controls, such as stoplights or signs are located at corners. This tends to slow down motorists at corners and they tend to be more cautious as they approach intersections. The motoring public generally expects school buses to be stopping at corners rather than individual houses. Impatient motorists are also less likely to pass buses at corners than along a street. Cars passing school buses create the greatest risk to students who are getting on or off the bus.
• In the winter, salting and sanding is usually done at corners, providing safer stopping for buses and cars. 
• Buses use their eight-way light system and stop arm when picking up and dropping off students. Corner stops allow ample time for the driver to activate the yellow warning lights before getting to the stop.          

• Bus drivers, especially substitutes, can see corner stops much more easily than house numbers so they can keep their focus on their driving. House numbers are located in a variety of places on houses and are often not easily visible from the street, especially in bad weather and before dawn or after dusk.

Why can I only have one pickup and one drop off location?
For safety reasons, students must be dropped off at their assigned bus stop every day; alternate drop-off locations are not allowed. Consistent drop-off locations leave less room for confusion by either the student or the driver.

Should I call someone if my student doesn’t need to be picked up today?
If your student is picked up at a stop with other students, no phone call is necessary. If your student is the only one at your stop, please call the contractor assigned to your child’s route.

What should I do if we move or change day cares?
If you need to make a change to your transportation information, please fill out new Transportation Information form on our transportation web site or call the Transportation Department.  Changes may take up to 5 days to be set up. No changes will be made between Aug 21 and Sep 21.

How do I find out what bus my child rides? 
In late August, the Transportation Department will send out postcards with your child's bus number, bus stop location, and times. If the information is incorrect, please call the Transportation Department at 763-502-5026.

How far will my child have to walk to a bus stop?
K-4 students walk to stop distance may be up to .15 (791 ft.) 5-12 students walk to stop distance may be up to .25 (1320 ft.)

What if I need to have my student take a different bus?
Students may only ride their assigned bus or be dropped assign stop. This is due to liability of the school district.  

The bus drives right by my house. Why can’t it stop at my house?
The higher frequency of stops can make the motoring public "impatient." This results in people driving around the bus which can cause greater safety concerns than the distance a student walks to the bus stop does. It also delays the bus by increasing the number of stops, making overall student ride time longer. 

I operate a home day care and need the bus to stop there because the state requires me to see the children at all times.  Can this be set up?
No. All regular education bus stops are located at centrally located corners. Daycare providers and/or parent/guardians are responsible for ensuring that children arrive safely at their assigned bus stop.

What time should my student arrive at the bus stop?
Students should arrive at their assigned bus stop no less than five (5) minutes prior to their scheduled bus stop time. Drivers make every effort to run their routes on time. However, unforeseen circumstances can cause a bus to run late.  Therefore, students should always remain at their assigned stop ten (10) minutes beyond their scheduled pick-up time.  If the bus is more than 10 minutes late, students may return to their homes and have someone call the contractor assigned to student’s route to inquire about the status of their bus.

Our neighborhood has no sidewalks and has hills and curves. Can we have an additional bus stop so our children do not have to walk to the existing stop?
With the large number of streets and bus stops in our school district, it is necessary for some students to walk on roads that have hills, curves and / or no sidewalks.