Start and End Bell Times

The UCPS Transportation Department maintains safe, effective, and efficient operations for transporting students. State funding for the Transportation Department is based on how efficiently school buses operate. The funding formula consists of various criteria but is focused on how many students are transported, how many school buses are operated and how much money it takes to support the operation.

UCPS operates over 200 buses covering 29,000 miles a day and about five million miles during the school year.

While efficiency in operations is very important, our ability to transport students with fewer bus drivers available has required us to make radical changes in our daily operations. Bell schedules were altered prior to the 2020-2021 school year to create additional run time so that students arrive on campus daily before instruction begins. In addition, bus stops have been consolidated, which allows for buses to double back for additional loads. These changes, while inconvenient for parents, have been a necessary part of operations and will continue into the foreseeable future.