Frequently Asked Questions

Your child may be eligible to ride if:

1. You live 2 or more miles from your child's designated campus.
   • Please note: Elgin ISD uses a computerized routing and mapping system as the standard by which all eligibility measurements are made. The shortest path on public roadway is measured between the midpoint of a home address and the flagpole at the school. For apartment complexes, the measurement point is the property line closest to the school.
2. Your child is a registered Elgin ISD student and your address is up-to-date with the campus registrar.
   • Please note: Your student can only be routed to the address indicated in Skyward Family Access, so please ensure that information is kept current with your campus registrar.

Your bus stop can be found utilizing the Find My Bus Stop lookup tool. When you enter your students' address, be sure to include the street suffix abbreviation exactly as is on the street sign (ST, LN, CT, PKWY, CV, WAY, TRL, DR, etc.). If your street address includes a direction (East, West, North or South, include the first letter of the direction (example: E. 8th St.).

Make sure to include the street suffix abbreviation (ST, LN, CT, PKWY, CV, WAY, TRL, DR, etc.) but do not spell out "street", "lane", etc. and do not enter a zip code. If your address still does not appear, please call the Transportation Department at (512) 281-5751 for further assistance.

• Download: SMART Tag Mobile Parent app 
• Descargue: Aplicación Para Padres SMART Tag 

It takes 48 school hours to process, once your student is fully registered at their campus.

It may take longer when a student receives special needs transportation. The Transportation department will need the IEP paperwork that states the student is eligible for special needs transportation. If your student uses a car seat, booster seat, harness or any other safety equipment, we must have the safety equipment before we start transporting the student.

Yes. If transportation is part of the student’s IEP, then support services must be provided.

Your child should arrive at the stop at least 10 minutes before the scheduled pick up time. If there is a substitute driver, there is a chance the bus could be a few minutes late. Please understand the times may not be absolutely consistent with the regular scheduled pickup times due to traffic, weather, and other unforeseen occurrences. If the bus is late, ask your child to remain at the stop. There may be incidents beyond our control but there will always be a bus at every stop. If the wait becomes extreme (approximately 20 minutes), please call the Transportation Dispatch office at (512) 281-5751 ext. 1255.

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 will wait up to 2 minutes at the stop.

All buses will wait 8 minutes at the school (unless otherwise instructed by campus administrator) 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. Do not run after the bus, that is dangerous.

All of our buses are equipped with AC, and our drivers are instructed to continuously run the AC to keep the bus as cool as possible. However, Texas is known for its high temperatures, and as we open and close the door repeatedly to allow students on and off the bus, the cool air is released, making it hard to maintain a low bus temperature. We appreciate your patience as we do everything within our power to keep your student(s) cool during those high-temperature days.

It is important that you arrive at your students' bus stop before their drop time. If a parent/guardian of a Pre-K or Kinder student fails to arrive at the bus stop on time, the student will be returned to their campus.

All students must ride their assigned bus. Bus-hopping or changing from assigned buses is not permitted. Students may ONLY utilize their designated stop as assigned by SMART Tag. Buses will stop at designated stops only. Do not ask a bus driver to adjust their bus route.

Public school transportation is governed by Texas Education Code, Sec. 42.155. Under this code, a "regular eligible student" means a student who resides two or more miles from the student's campus of regular attendance, measured along the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads, and who is not classified as a student eligible for special education services. The school district may apply for and on approval of the commissioner receive an additional amount of up to 10 percent of its regular transportation allotment to be used for the transportation of children living within two miles of the school they attend who would be subject to hazardous traffic conditions if they walked to school. Each Board of Trustees shall provide to the commissioner the definition of hazardous conditions applicable to that district and shall identify the specific hazardous areas for which the allocation is requested. A hazardous condition exists where no walkway is provided and children must walk along or cross a freeway or expressway, an underpass, an overpass or a bridge, an uncontrolled major traffic artery, an industrial or commercial area, or another comparable condition.
 

Definitions:

• "Campus of regular attendance" = home school campus - The ‘home school’ campus is determined by the student’s residential address and the assigned attendance zone boundary of each school.
• "Hazardous traffic conditions" - A road is considered hazardous to student pedestrian traffic under the following conditions: Students must walk along or across a freeway, an expressway, an overpass, or an underpass, where no walkway is provided and/or students must cross an uncontrolled major traffic artery.  Neighborhood streets without a sidewalk are not considered hazardous to pedestrian traffic.

No. Students who voluntarily transfer to a school other than their home campus are NOT eligible for bus service. 

When there is a need to change your child’s drop off destination, the parents can submit a request in writing to the transportation department. It must be within the service area of the school, on an approved route and be an approved stop. If asking for a new stop, it will be reviewed by the department and the parent will be notified if the request is approved or not. A consistent pick-up and drop off location will ensure that your child will be on the right bus going to the right place. Constant changes cause confusion for the child and the bus drivers. Bus stops are not made for convenience. A stop is made based on safety and efficiency in order to transport students safely and on time to receive instruction at their campus.

Bus stops are placed at centralized locations that can be safely accessed by a significant number of students and to minimize the time length and mileage of the route. If you have concerns about your child's safety, you are encouraged to accompany your child to the bus stop or arrange for a neighborhood buddy to walk with your child. The Home-to-Stop distances are as follows: elementary school students are up to .35 miles to a bus stop, middle school students are up to .55 miles to a bus stop and high school students' bus stop is no longer than 1 mile.

NOTE: This does not apply when a school bus can not safely operate down a road or an area. 

To minimize the ride time spent on the bus, bus stops are placed at centralized locations that can be safely accessed by all eligible students. Stops are not placed in dead end streets to minimize bus accidents while backing up. (Backing is a very dangerous maneuver for a school bus). If you have concerns about your child's safety, you are encouraged to accompany your child to the bus stop or arrange a neighborhood buddy to walk with your child. The Home-to-Stop distances are as follows: elementary school students are up to .35 miles to a bus stop, middle school students are up to .55 miles to a bus stop and high school students' bus stop is no longer than 1 mile.

School bus sizes are stated in terms of passenger capacity for elementary students. It is assumed elementary school students will ride three per seat. Middle school students are assumed to ride two to three per seat. High school students are assumed to ride two per seat. If the bus has three elementary school students, two to three middle school students, or two high school students in each seat, it may seem crowded but it will not be over capacity. It is our goal to fully utilize all the space on all the buses in our fleet. Depending on the student's size this may vary.

If the driver is unable to deliver a student home (ie; student lost key, no parent/guardian to receive student (Pre-K and Kinder), weather conditions, road conditions they will be taken back to their school campus.

The majority of the Transportation staff work a “split” schedule, the office has minimal staff during the hours of 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The best time to reach the majority of our staff members is between 9:00 to 11:00 am.

Contact Information

• Main Transportation Office: (512) 281-5751
• Dispatch Office: (512) 281-5751 ext. 1255

If a student is part of a club or athletic sport, they can bring their equipment as long as it is secured in a bag and doesn't take up a seat from another student. This includes but is not limited to: basketballs, soccer balls, baseball bats, golf clubs, tennis balls, etc.

If your student is bringing a skateboard on the bus, the following conditions must be met:  

• The school must have an established and scheduled official activity involving skateboards
• The school has provided Transportation with a list of attendees
• The student carrying the skateboard is on that list
• Skateboards must be secured to the student's backpack or in a bag

Call the main Transportation Office at (512) 281-5751, the best time to reach the majority of our staff members is between 9:00 to 11:00 am. If there is no answer, then leave a clear message. Please leave the students full name, student ID number, description of the item, what section of the bus the item was left on and a call back number. We are not responsible for any belongings left on the bus.

Bus-hopping or changing from assigned buses is not permitted. Students may ONLY utilize their designated stop as assigned by SMART Tag. For the safety of the operator of the vehicle and all passengers, students must board buses or other vehicles only at their assigned stops, and drivers must only unload passengers at the authorized stops. Buses will stop at designated stops only.

All items brought on board must fit in the student’s lap. Please make special arrangements for transporting large articles such as large band instruments (such as, but not limited to, tubas and euphoniums), large projects, or any other item which would take up another student’s seat. Sports equipment (such as, but not limited to a basketball or tennis racquet) and Color Guard props (such as, but not limited to guns and swords) must be COMPLETELY concealed in a duffle bag or backpack and not visible to the driver or students. Golf Clubs and Color Guard flags or poles are not able to be transported on the bus.

Sec. 34.013.  BUS SEAT BELT POLICY.  A school district shall require a student riding a bus operated by or contracted for operation by the district to wear a seat belt if the bus is equipped with seat belts for all passengers on the bus. A school district may implement a disciplinary policy to enforce the use of seat belts by students. If the bus is equipped with seat belts, the seat belt is there for your students to use.

Transportation will contact the student(s) campus. The driver will return the student(s) to the campus. The campus will hold the student(s) on campus and contact the parents/guardians to come and pick up the student(s) from campus.  

Elgin ISD General Education Bus Safety Rules

• Follow directions the first time they are given.
• Stay in your seat, facing the front, keeping the aisle clear with feet on the floor.  Keep all parts of your body and objects to yourself and inside the bus.
• No pushing, fighting, loud talking, playing music, using cell phones in a distracting way to drivers or others, or profanity allowed.
• No eating, drinking, chewing gum, drugs, tobacco products, laser pointers or weapons of any kind are allowed on the bus.
• Keep the bus clean. DO NOT VANDALIZE the bus.
• Cooperate with the bus driver and be respectful of the bus driver and other students.
• You may get on and off at your designated bus stop only.
• Do not operate service door or touch emergency equipment except in a true emergency.
• Be at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to pickup time, standing back 10 feet or more and safely wait for bus service doors to open.
• Seatbelts must be worn at all times while the bus is in motion if equipped with them.

School Bus Code of Conduct

• At no time will students act toward or address comments to a bus driver in a disrespectful manner or refuse to cooperate with the bus driver.
• Students shall get on or off the bus only at their assigned stop.
• Students shall not refuse to sit in an assigned seat or deny another person a place to sit.
• Students will be expected to remain seated for the duration of the trip, and remain seated until the bus door opens.
• Students shall not throw or shoot articles within the bus or out of the bus window, and shall not extend any part of their body, clothing, or other articles out of the bus window.
• Students shall not take or handle any emergency equipment inside the bus, and shall never board or leave the bus through the emergency exits except in an emergency.
• Students shall never attempt to operate the passenger door except in cases of extreme emergency.
• Students shall not yell, scream, whistle, or play radio, or cell phone on the bus.
• Students shall not write upon, disfigure, or destroy any part of the school bus.
• Scuffling, fighting, and the use of obscene, vulgar, or profane language are forbidden.
• Students shall not carry weapons, explosives (such as fireworks), unsheathed pointed articles, animals, intoxicating beverages, or drugs on the bus.
• Students shall not eat, drink, or litter on the bus.
• Students shall arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the scheduled time. They shall stand well back from the roadway in an orderly group and not approach the bus until the door has opened.
• All students living on the left side of the roadway shall exit the bus and move to a point 10-12 feet in front of the right bumper and wait for the driver to signal that it is safe to cross.  Students shall never cross behind the bus.
• Students shall face forward for the duration of the trip, shall keep their feet on the floor in front of them, and out of the aisle.
• Students will abide by the individual school’s rules and regulations concerning bus students.
• Serious offenses are defined but not limited to those listed above.

Additional Considerations

PK and Kinder students will be returned to their home campuses if no one is available to receive them. Child Protective Services may be called for students that are frequently returned undeliverable. We ask that PK and Kinder parents, or an authorized adult, be at home at the time the students are dismissed from school. The drop off time can vary depending on how many students are riding the bus that day.

• A consistent pick-up and drop off location will ensure that your child will be on the right bus going to the right place. Constant changes cause confusion for the child, teacher and the bus drivers. Changes to bus stop locations are not allowed unless approved by the Transportation Department. Email, SMART Tag Parent App, or phone will go out to the parents when routes or stops are changed, prior to the execution of these changes.
• When there is a need to change your child’s drop off destination, the teacher and the bus driver must have a written note with a parent signature and contact information and be approved by the transportation department.
• Students are expected to be out at their stops 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the bus arrival. Buses should not have to honk for your students.
• Parents should discuss the bus safety rules with their child. A safety citation, given to the student, is the first step in notifying parents that their child is not following the rules and riding safely. Safety citations are primarily for elementary students and are used at the discretion of the bus driver. We are committed to the safety of our students and the safety citation is a way to open up communication with parents.

After-School Tutorial Routes: After-school tutorial routes have neighborhood stops for the routes. These stops are similar to the stops that were utilized for Summer School routes (one to two stops per neighborhood/area). This provides consistency for the students and the drivers. As students ride, they will be assigned the tutorial in our routing program so you can see the bus assignment in SMART Tag and verify that your student is on the bus. If you have questions about your students' stop, please contact us at EISD Transportation.

Summer school will have less routes and less bus stops.

Student safety is the primary concern of the Transportation Department. Statistics show that the most dangerous time for students is before entering or after exiting the bus. The Transportation Department considers the environment and age of the students when determining bus stops. The department attempts to place every bus stop at a location with reasonable safety assurances for students. Parents must assume the responsibility for their students traveling back and forth from home to the stop. Students are expected to be at their stops 10 minutes before the scheduled time of the bus arrival.