Student Transportation

**Open Enrollment for 2019-2020 School Year begins on April 1, 2019**

Private, Parochial, Charter, and Career & Technical Education Transportation Request.

The online student registration system is open for 2019-2020 school year transportation requests. Please register using the online student registration form below.

[To request transportation for the current 2018-2019 school year do not use the online form.  Instead, please call the Statewide Office directly at (401) 222-5024.]

Request Transportation

General transportation deadlines/information

Transportation requests for the Fall of each new school year must be received by July 31^st  if you require bus service on the first day of school. If you do not require service until later in the school year, please register 10 business days prior to the expected start date. You will receive a letter to confirm your child's bus stop information 10 business days before school starts.

Transportation request forms submitted on or after August 1^st of each year requesting service for the first day of school may receive a temporary bus stop assignment. Parents/Guardians will be notified of their temporary stop time and location by phone before the first day of school.

For students who receive a temporary stop assignment, permanent bus stop information will be provided by phone beginning the week of September 23, 2019.

Pre K students are not eligible for transportation.

Transportation requests for students with disabilities are submitted by the resident district Special Education Administrator.

Please allow 4 business days from date of notification for all transportation requests to be processed by our office. During this time, Transportation will create or adjust the route, issue a new or revised route sheet, and notify the bus company who will inform the driver of the information. 

Out of District Transportation

School districts participating in the Statewide Transportation System for students traveling out of district

To become eligible for transportation:

1. You must reside in one of the participating districts listed above.
2. You may only travel within your designated region below.
3. Transportation is provided to and from your resident district.
4. Regions do not apply for students with disabilities.

* Although all of the above districts participate in the statewide program, there are some routes that remain at the district level.
* Aunque todos los distritos anteriores participan en el programa estatal, hay algunas rutas que quedan a nivel del distrito.

Students with Disabilities

Parents/Guardians of students with disabilities must request transportation through their local school district special education administrator.

The special education administrator will complete the student data form along with any pertinent information regarding the well being of the student.

The administrator's office will forward the transportation request to the System Manager’s office.

Transportation Holidays

Bus service is not available from the Statewide Transportation System on the following Federal and State Holidays and days on which state statutes require public schools to be closed:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Presidents Day
• Memorial Day
• Fourth of July 
• Victory Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Vacaciones de transporte

El Departamento de transportación estatal no proporcionar servicio de transporte de autobús escolar en los días de vacaciones del Gobierno Federal y Estatal al igual que los dias la cual la leyes estatales requieren que las escuelas publicas esten cerrada:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Presidents Day
• Memorial Day
• Fourth of July 
• Victory Day
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day
   

Inclement Weather and Emergency Closing/Delay Policy Information

Click on a link below for more information:

• Students With Disabilities Inclement Weather/Emergency Closing/Delay Policy – English [PDF] / En Español [PDF]
• Private/Catholic/Charter Schools and Career & Technical Center Students Inclement Weather/Emergency Closing/Delay Policy – English [PDF] / En Español [PDF]
• Examples Of School Closing Situations - English / En Español
• FAQ - English / En Español
• Route Reference Tables For All Schools (Routes Affected By District) – AM / PM [as of January 7, 2020]

Rhode Island has in the past few years made an active effort to streamline and make more efficient services provided to its citizens. This is needed both to improve the quality of the services provided and to use scarce fiscal resources to achieve maximum results. Rhode Island’s school districts are facing many dilemmas in meeting student needs with little or no increases in funding, and look to the state for not only direct education aid, but also for statewide solutions to issues not easily handled on a district by district basis. A top priority for both school districts and the state is a single statewide, efficient and well run transportation system for special education, non-public and other students who must go out of their school district for their education.

The Rhode Island General Assembly recently initiated the creation of a statewide transportation system for out-of-district special education and non-public school students under an amendment to Sections 16-21.1-7 and 16-21.1-8 of the General Laws in Chapter 16-21.12 entitled "Transportation of School Pupils Beyond City and Town Limits.” Ultimately, a statewide transportation system for all students that will encompass both within district and out-of-district transportation is planned with the out-of-district component as the first phase of this work.

Several geographic and demographic attributes unique to Rhode Island favor this initiative, including the state’s limited total land area and the second highest state population density in the United States.

The requirement for participation by all Rhode Island school districts (with an exception at this time for those districts that primarily own and operate their own systems) has been mandated by the State.

Currently RIDE's program is managed by Transpar Group with transportation services provided by First Student and Ocean State Transit.

Requirements for Vehicles and Licensing

• Requirements for Vehicles and Licensing - General Overview