For Employees

 Accidents

• Follow procedures found in the UCPS Emergency Handbook
• After Hours Emergency Contact List for Transportation

Arrivals / Dismissals

• 15 – 30 minutes prior to scheduled bell time (breakfast) Bell Times 26-27
• Bus Loading and Arrival Process
• Unload all students when bus arrives on campus (unless bus is unusually early)

 Bus Assignment / De-Assignment Processes

• Student Bus Assignment Process
• Bus De-Assignment Process
• Bus DeAssignment -ReAssignment Parent Letter
• Parent will receive bus stop information from the Edulog Parent Portal app.  This app also allows parents to track the bus location in real time  and receive custom push alerts as the bus approaches the assigned stop locations.  
• Edulog Parent Portal One Page Information Sheet-English
• Edulog Parent Portal One Page Information Sheet-Spanish

 Bus Capacities and Extra Riders

• Drivers are not to operate buses when student loads exceed rated capacity posted inside the bus.  This capacity is determined by the bus manufacturer.
• Schools can give permission for students to ride home with other riders with a temporary pass issued from school administration.
• Transportation Bus Capacities and Extra Rider Process
• Athletic and Student Transport Van Capacity

Bus Discipline

• Bus Discipline Executive Summary
• Elementary Rubric
• Middle/High Rubric

Charter Bus Trips

• Charter Bus Process
• Charter Bus Forms
• 26-27 Approved Charter Bus Carrier List

Contacts

UCPS Transportation is divided into four transportation areas

• Northern - Porter Ridge cluster, Piedmont cluster
• Eastern - Forest Hills cluster, CATA, Wolfe
• Goldmine - Sun Valley cluster, Weddington cluster, Monroe cluster, Early College
• Southwest - Cuthbertson cluster, Marvin cluster, Parkwood cluster, South Providence
• Transportation Contact List & Who to Contact flow chart
• Transportation Organizational Chart
• The normal hours of operation for Transportation are 5:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Daily Pre-Trip Inspection

• Required by all drivers; please notify us of any unsafe condition or cleanliness issues

Exceptional Children

• Transportation supports the need for all students to observe length of day requirements; please ensure teachers do not load students early in the afternoons.  Per the EC department, special needs buses are permitted a 5 minute grace period for loading buses.  The buses should not leave campus prior to the dismissal bell. 
• Students should always be escorted by a staff member to the bus.
• Students in wheelchairs must have a parent/guardian or school staff member on the ground while student is being lifted/lowered to/from the bus.
• Some special needs students may be transported on buses with regular ed students.

Field Trips

• Activity Bus Driver Listing
• Link for TransAct-Travel Tracker
  • Quick Reference Guide for Athletic Directors
  • Quick Reference Guide for Approvers
  • Quick Reference Guide for Vehicle Owners
• Field Trip Procedures
• Activity Bus Mileage Report Form
• Activity Vehicle Cost Information
• District Field Trip Forms for Employees
• Additional cost for EC buses due to requirement of safety assistant
• Invoices are provided through Travel Tracker
• All payments for invoices are expected to be paid immediately
• Parents are NOT allowed to ride unless listed as an approved volunteer & cleared by HR.

Transportation for Instructional and Extra Curricular Activity Field Trips

Field Trips for Yellow School Buses Only

1. Field trips shall be educational and correlate with North Carolina Standard Course of Study.
2. The Field Trip Request shall be completed in full and submitted to Transportation one month in advance.
3. Field trips utilizing yellow school buses may not travel more than 50 miles outside of Union County.
4. Field trip requests to utilize yellow school buses will only be approved if a bus and school bus driver is available.
5. Field trips utilizing yellow buses will not be approved if the trip interferes with daily route times.
6. Field trip transportation cost shall be paid by the school requesting the trip. Yellow school buses shall not be used to travel outside the State of North Carolina. The state shall be reimbursed by the LEA according to state regulations.

Activity Buses

The Superintendent or designee shall authorize use of activity buses for transportation of athletic teams or other student groups to attend and participate in scheduled curriculum or extra curriculum activities and events. Activity buses shall be assigned to every high school and provided to all other schools upon request. Activity buses shall be inspected, serviced and maintained by the Transportation Department.

The usage of activity buses shall be subject to the following requirements:

1. Trips employing activity buses must involve transporting school age and preschool age students that are currently enrolled in the school system.
2. Activity buses may be used to transport students out of state within a 300 mile round trip radius from the school.
3. Activity buses may be used to transport students unlimited miles while traveling inside the State of North Carolina.
4. Only Union County Public Schools properly certifies drivers who may drive activity buses and must present a current pocket card when picking up the bus.
5. Parents and volunteers on the UCPS approved volunteer list may also be transported at the discretion of the school administrator.
6. Schools shall be responsible for paying drivers and compensating transportation for mileage driven.
7. The Superintendent or designee shall approve the usage of activity buses by outside organizations.
8. Employing 15 passenger vans is prohibited.

Students may not be transported to or from the trip site in an unauthorized or private vehicle.

GPS Bus Tracking

• GPS access for buses is provided for school adminstrators.  If schools choose for office staff to have GPS login credentials, please email Joshua Bickford, Transportation Technology Specialist.
• GPS Login Instructions (from your phone)
• GPS Login Instructions (from your computer)

Idling Guidelines

• No school bus idling on campus with the exception of approved EC buses (students with medically approved IEP) or extreme weather conditions
• Please report violations to Transportation Services

 School Bus Routes / Stops

• Bus stop information is available for Parents using the Edulog Parent Portal App; Schools may use WebSchool Assistant for accessing student bus information.
• Parents who are requesting a school bus stop evaluation should fill out the Bus Stop Evaluation Form and return to the appropriate transportation office.
• Community Travel Guidelines

 Student Safety Training

• Required during 1^st 5 days of school & within the first 5 days of 2nd semester
  • Student Safety Training Requirements
  • Training materials may be found at ncbussafety.org
• Click Here for the School Bus Evacuation Video 
• Hand Signals for Students

Start of School Transportation Supplement

 1^st Day Reminders

• Elementary Schools to tag all students (bus and car riders) during 1^st few days of school
• Anticipate late buses during the 1^st few days; prepare staff accordingly
• Prepare early in the day for those students that need alternate p.m. arrangements or do not have a ride
• Identify someone on staff to communicate with non-English speaking students
• Accommodations for overcrowded buses will be necessary in select areas
• Transportation area offices open until last student is dropped off and buses are securely parked
• UCPS Transportation No One at Home (NOAH) Process

Suggestions for Open House – 1st Week of School

• Have all parents download the Edulog Parent Portal App
• Print a listing of stop locations by bus #; students that do not have a bus assignment should request an assignment through the school office
• Use alphabetic Street Listing to assist parents with closest stop location

THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE Infinite Campus DATA CANNOT BE OVERSTATED; IT IS CRITICAL TO OBTAINING TRANSPORTATION FOR A STUDENT!

• Safe Schools Training Instructions
• Bus Seating Chart Form
• School Bus Driver DMV Handbook
• Direct Deposit Form
• Stop Arm Violation Form
• Student Stop Procedures
• Driver Crossing Procedure Card
• Crossing Procedures - English
• Crossing Procedures - Spanish
• Driver Vision Obstruction Form
• Social Media Memo - July 2020