The pausing of Orange Line services, scheduled for August 19th through September 18, will increase traffic congestion, disrupt MBTA travelers, and impact BPS students and staff. BPS is working closely with our partners to communicate with and provide support for students and families during the Orange Line shutdown.

This includes communicating with families on a weekly basis. Our weekly communications to families are all saved in this folder.

Due to a number of factors, BPS is currently experiencing a shortage of school bus drivers.To address this shortage in anticipation of the 2022-23 school year, BPS has worked to optimize and consolidate bus routes and recruit and retain additional bus drivers. This has included, along with our bus vendor, introducing new CDL training pathways for new driver hires, introducing hiring and referral bonuses, and increasing marketing and recruitment efforts, amongst other efforts.

Nonetheless, we anticipate the ongoing driver shortage potentially disrupting service for a relatively small daily percentage of students who ride the bus. Because many factors impact the scale of the shortage, including driver attendance on the day of, you will receive a call from the transportation department on the morning of if your student’s bus service will be impacted.

If you do not plan to have your student take yellow bus transportation to school this fall, please notify us as soon as possible to free up spaces on buses. To let us know, just call us at 617-635-9520 or visit our Support Portal and submit a "Request to Opt Out of Transportation."

We apologize for this inconvenience and will continue to take every step we can to meet the needs of our students.

During the last week of August 2022, 2022-2023 transportation assignments will be sent out by mail and email. If you have any questions about what type of transportation your student will receive this school year, you can refer to the Eligibility page on our website, available by clicking here. Any time a student's transportation assignment is updated throughout the school year, we will send out an updated assignment via mail and email.

Transportation for all students in grades 7-12 will be by MBTA trains and buses, with the exception of those students who receive specialized transportation services in accordance with their Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 Plan.

MBTA passes will be available for pickup from schools on the first day of school in the fall.

Alternative Transportation Requests, MBTA Waiver Requests, and Bus Stop Change Request forms can be submitted through our support portal by clicking here.

Alternative Transportation: Alternative Transportation Requests are used to request that your child is picked up and/or dropped off at an alternate address such as a before/after school program or babysitter’s home. This can be requested even if a student is not eligible for transportation between home and school.

MBTA Waiver Requests: Waiver Requests for students who don’t qualify for yellow bus transportation to ride with their siblings can also be submitted through our Support Portal. 

Bus Stop Change Requests: Bus Stop Change Requests are used to request a new corner stop for your child due to distance or safety reasons. Bus stop change requests will only be reviewed for stops greater than 0.25 miles from the student's home address. Please note that corner stops may be up to 1/2 mile from the student's home address and bus stop change requests are not guaranteed.

Any Requests received by August 12, 2022 are guaranteed to be reviewed in time for the start of school. Additional requests are reviewed in the order they are received. Processing time may take up to 2-3 weeks.

Families are welcome to opt their child(ren) out of yellow bus transportation if they prefer to utilize alternative transportation options, such as walking, biking, or family-provided transportation.

If you currently have a yellow bus transportation assignment but would now like to opt-out, you can submit a request to opt out of transportation online by clicking here. 

We understand circumstances for families may change throughout this year. Therefore, we are offering families who have previously opted out of bus transportation the ability to reinstate bus service.

Please click here to submit a form to request that bus service be reinstated for your child.

Please note:

• This form will only be approved if your child is eligible for transportation.
• Reinstatement of bus service will take 10-15 days in most cases. You will receive a notification of your student's new bus assignment in the mail when it is ready.

This page will be updated regularly as additional information becomes available. In addition, families can contact us by emailing schoolbus@bostonpublicschools.org or submitting a support ticket online by clicking here.