General FAQs:

Q: ​Can we use more than one address for transportation?
A: No, we will only transport students using one address for both morning and afternoon.  

Q: Can preschool students ride the school bus?
A: No.

Q: Can I be notified when my child(ren)'s bus is going to be late?
A: Yes​. ​We are now able to send you an e-mail that your child(ren)'s bus is running late due to weather, break down, accident, etc.  The e-mail that is on file on your Infinite Campus account will be the one we use to communicate with you.  This system will be used if the bus is running more than 15 minutes late.

Q: Who needs to fill out a transportation form?
A: Every family who would like transportation for this school year, regardless if you are a "Country Route" or "Optional Bus Service or Express Shuttle Service" family.  This information will allow us to place your student on a route.  Without the form, we will not pick your student(s) up or drop him/her off.

Q: Do I need to fill out a transportation form this year if information has not changed from last year?
A: Yes​. ​We ask each family to fill out the Transportation Information Form each year, regardless if the information is the same or has changed from last year.

Q: We live in the country with no sidewalk. Does that qualify us for free busing?
A: No​. ​The only factor that qualifies your student(s) to ride for free is the 2 and 3 mile rule.

Q: We live on the east side of NE Hubbell Ave. Do we pay for busing?
A: Yes, with the completion of the underpass, the OBS fees apply to students living east of Hubbell Ave whose address is more than 2 miles (K-8th grade) and more than 3 miles (9th-12th grade).

Q: I need to change my pick up or drop off location. What do I do?
A: We ask that you contact Transportation via e-mail at transportation@bfschools.org or by calling us at 515-967-7819 to make any changes.  Please notify us 14 days prior to routing changes.  We will not make any changes during the first 2 weeks of school.

Q: How is the distance calculated?
A: From the end of your driveway to the closest entrance on school grounds using the shortest route.​ ​

Q: How do I know if I need to pay for my child(ren) to ride?
A: If you have a student(s) in K-8 and your home address is 2.00 miles or less to their school, K-6th gr students may utilize our Optional Bus Service Program 7th-8th gr. students may utilize the Express Shuttle Service.  9th - 12th gr. students whose home address is 3.00 miles or less to their school may utilize the Express Shuttle Dervice.
If you are unsure of the distance, you may contact our Transportation Department and they will be happy to check the distance for you.

Q: Do I need to pay if my child lives in an OBS area but will be riding to a country address for daycare purposes?​
A: Yes​. ​You will be charged the OBS regardless of where we are transporting them.

Q: We live in the country and we use a babysitter in-town.  Do we need to pay for them?
A: Yes​. ​Anytime you are using an OBS route, you will be charged for this service.

Q: What happens if my payment is not received by the deadline? Will my student(s) still be able to ride?
A: No.

Q: How can I pay the transportation fee?
A: You may pay with a credit or debit card on your Infinite Campus account.  Once approved for transportation, the fee will be assigned to your oldest student's account.

Q: Will you send out invoices to us for the second semester like you have in the past?
A: No​.​ We will send a one-time reminder email to the family regarding the fee payment deadline for the second semester.

Q: I forgot to pay for the second semester. What will happen?
A: If payment is not received by Friday, December 1st, 2023, your student(s) seat will be offered to students on the waiting list and you will not be able to ride beginning Tuesday, January 16th, 2024.

Double Routes, Express Shuttle Service and OBS:

Q:  How early will the first pick up be on one of the double routes?

    A:  We are planning no earlier than 7:00 am

Q:  If my child(ren) is placed on the first double route, where will they go in the morning?

  A:  All students are welcome to go to breakfast when they arrive at their school or wait with other students who are dropped off by their parents.  All students are brought inside when the weather is inclement.

Q:  When will I know which route (1st or 2nd route) my child(ren) will be on?

  A:  Once all transportation requests are received, we will begin working on routes.  Our goal date is set as August 18th, 2023 to have routes set.  Be sure to continue to watch our transportation page for OBS routes/stops/times to be posted.

Q:  Why are Double Routes needed?

  A:  Due to our growing community and the desire to continue to offer safe and reliable transportation at an affordable cost to our families, these changes need to happen.

Q:  The current route my in-town student is on this year is at capacity. Will an additional bus be added to our area? 

  A: No. Once the ridership reaches capacity, the transportation will no longer accept any additional riders.  All applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis (this includes both application and payment).  Any OBS applications that are denied for capacity reasons will be placed on a waiting list until a spot becomes available.

Q:  My student(s) rides a country route. Will double routing affect their route?

  A:  Not generally, but some OBS riders may be added to a country if there is available seating.

Q:  Will there be a point in time when transportation will limit the number of students who can sign up for OBS?

  A:  Yes, as our community has continued to grow and routes have been adjusted to accommodate that growth, we may need to deny additional rider requests for those areas.  Once our ridership numbers hit capacity, we will no longer add students to the OBS routes that have the max number of riders for those development areas.

Q:  Will Bondurant-Farrar continue to add buses to OBS?

  A: We will continue to re-evaluate our program and make adjustments when we see the need and can continue to provide transportation at a reasonable cost to the district.

Q:  Will there ever be a time that Bondurant-Farrar will not provide OBS?

  A:  As Bondurant developments have continued to expand further away from our school campuses, we have adjusted our OBS program for certain schools.  We have already adjusted areas and will continue to identify areas that are in close proximity to our school campuses and identified them as "No Bus Service Zones".

Q:  Have the OBS fees increased for 23-24 SY?

  A:  Yes, the cost will be $250.00 per student

Q:  We live in the country but are using OBS to/from a babysitter. Will we need to pay?

  A:  Yes,  anytime you are using OBS services you will be asked to pay for this service.

Q: We live in town and have a jr. high school and/or high school student, are they eligible to ride an OBS route?

 A:  No, they may, however, be eligible for our Express Shuttle Service between the campuses.

Q. What is the Express Shuttle Service?

A:  Our Express Shuttle service helps jr. high school and high school students who live farther away from their school(s) with reliable transportation from the Garfield campus (Morris, Anderson, and Intermediate schools) to the JH/HS campus in the morning and back in the afternoon.

Q:  How much does OBS or Express Shuttle Service cost?

A:  $250 per student