District Busing Guidelines

Student bus stop locations are determined based on the student’s home address, with transportation available to a school located within District attendance areas.

Students have the opportunity to have two (2) assigned school bus stops; one (1) primary stop and a second stop defined as an alternative stop. Students can receive transportation to a daycare address if it is within the school’s attendance area and not in the walk zone. Stops are created at corners only (except special education students).

Bus stops for students are based on the information below. If families decide to provide their own transportation to and/or from school for their student, a Transportation Waiver must be completed every year to ensure accurate information. 

For Grades PreK-5:

• Students living a half-mile or more from their schools, but still within the attendance area for that school, will be eligible for transportation and assigned a bus stop.
• Bus stops will never be more than a quarter-mile from a student’s home and will be located within the neighborhood to concentrate as many student riders at one stop as possible¹.
• Students living within a half-mile of their schools are considered in the walk zone and ineligible for bus transportation. If a student would have to cross a hazardous street² within that walk zone, however, Transportation Services will assign these students to a bus stop.
• Students must not be required to cross hazardous streets² in order to reach their bus stop.
• Students living outside their school’s attendance area will not be eligible to receive bus transportation, except in the case of Expanded School-Choice Option³.
• Midday Hi-5 students will receive transportation to/from their home address to ensure these students are not walking home from or waiting at an empty bus stop. This transportation does not require a custodial transfer (a parent is not required to be present or visible for the bus driver to drop off the student).

For Grades 6-8:

• Students living a mile or more from their schools, but still within the attendance area for that school, will receive transportation and be assigned to a bus stop.
• Bus stops will never be more than a half-mile from a student’s home and will be located within the neighborhood to concentrate as many student riders at one stop as possible¹.
• Students living within a mile of their schools are considered in the walk zone and no bus transportation will be provided.
• Students living outside their school’s attendance area will not receive transportation, except in the case of Expanded School-Choice Option³

For Grades 9-12:

Students who are eligible for transportation will receive a Go-To Pass to use with Metro Transit. This excludes students who require special education transportation. The Go-To Pass is a durable, plastic, pre-paid fare card that allows unlimited rides on Metro Transit  buses and light rail.

More information can be found at transportation.mpls.k12.mn.us/goto

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