The Durham Public Schools Transportation Department is here to help safely bring your child to and from school every day. We want to help you with your questions or concerns. 

We operate our school bus transportation program under policies developed and implemented by the DPS Board of Education (policies 6300-6340) and the State Board of Education as well as state laws.

How do I sign up to get bus transportation for my child to and from school?
Please contact your child’s school and let them know you will need bus transportation for your child. Please make sure to specify if you need only morning or afternoon, or morning and afternoon transportation. Also, please specify if you need an alternate address for the morning or afternoon. Please understand that alternate addresses must be within the school’s current attendance boundary or the alternate will not be approved (unless you attend a magnet school).

We moved this past year. How do I change my address to make sure my child gets bus transportation to the correct school?
Using the School Locator tool, please make sure that your child will still attend the same school. You may use the Returning Student Registration form in the PowerSchool Parent Portal to provide updated information for phone numbers, addresses, transportation, etc. Please note that you will upload your proof of residency/address within the online form. Information about this form is available on the district website (PowerSchool Current/Returning Student Information Update Portal). New students will complete the address information within the online enrollment form.

How long does it take after I change my address before I receive my bus assignment?
At the beginning of the year, it will take at the most 10 days to receive a bus assignment. By the beginning of October, bus assignments can be received within three to five days.

How do I know where my child’s bus stop is located?
Bus routes, schedules, and stops will be provided to families through each individual child's school. Visit or call your school to get the most up-to-date information.

I moved into a new neighborhood. Can I just send my child on the same bus as my neighbor when it comes?
No. All students must be registered with their school and have received an official bus assignment before they may ride the bus.  

Who do I call if the school bus does not show up to take my child to school?
Please call the DPS Transportation Department at 919-560-BUSS.

My child has a disability and can’t get to and from the bus stop. How can her needs be accommodated?
A student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) may have Special Transportation listed as a related service. Further, that IEP may require specialized equipment (such as a wheelchair lift) or other accommodations so that the student can be safely transported to and from school. IEP teams determine the specific transportation needs of the student through IEP meeting processes. If you have concerns about transportation for your student based on their disability needs, please start by reaching out to the EC teacher or EC facilitator. An IEP meeting may be necessary to discuss your concerns and consider changes to your student’s IEP. 

My stop is too far from my home; what is the process?
Please complete the bus stop request form on the district website. 

I am disabled and unable to accompany my child to the bus stop each morning. Can the bus stop at my home?
State law requires that the school bus be routed within one mile of your home, if the student lives 1.5 miles or more from school. Situations such as this are handled on a case-by-case basis by the DPS Transportation Department.

We live out of district from the school my child attends, but there is an existing stop near my out of district address. Can I utilize that stop?
No.

I was granted a transfer from the Office of Student Assignment to attend a school that is not my base school. Will I get transportation?
No. When you receive a transfer from the Office of Student Assignment, you’re made aware that you will have to transport your child to and from school.

My child was given a bus stop pick-up time of 8:30 a.m., but the bus came at 8:15 and she missed the bus. Will the bus come back and pick her up for school?
No. Students should be at the bus stop at least 15 minutes before the approximate pick-up time. Having the student at the stop 15 minutes prior to the quoted time will guarantee that the student will receive transportation. 

My child is a pathway/Performance Learning Center student; will he receive a stop near our house?
No. Pathway students are picked up from their base school and shuttled to their pathway school. PLC students are picked up near their home and shuttled to their base school in the mornings. They are then shuttled to PLC. In the afternoons they are shuttled to Durham School of the Arts and then taken home.

Why is my child on the bus for 90 minutes or longer?
Magnet/Pathway/PLC/Specialty schools have longer ride times, due to these programs being offered district-wide.

Can my student be picked up/dropped off at an alternative location that is within our assigned base school zone?
Yes. Alternative stops are created after the first ten days of school. They have to be within the district of the school. You must have permission/a bus assignment for the alternative location.  

My child is having a birthday party after school and I would like for her friends to ride the bus home with her. We can do that, right?
This is a decision that rests with the principal and is based on availability of seating on the bus. Our primary responsibility is to ensure that all students entitled to transportation have a bus assignment for their daily ride to and from school and that all bus assignments are done in a way to provide seating for all students. We try to accommodate this type of request, but must do so on a space-available basis.