Student Transportation

Students may qualify for bus transportation if they live more than 1.5 miles from their assigned home boundary school. Distance is measured using a GPS-based system along the nearest practical route—from the point where the student’s driveway meets a public road to the nearest school entrance. Measurements are calculated to the nearest hundredth of a mile (0.01). 

School bus stop information is available in the Infinite Campus Parent or Student Portal. If you do not have an Infinite Campus portal account, please email Infinite Campus to receive a personalized activation link. 

New Summer 2026: Stay connected to your student's transportation with the Stopfinder app.

Getting Started

• Request bus transportation for your student (request during online school registration or contact your school)
• Watch for an email invitation to subscribe to Stopfinder (if not received within 2 days, email us for an Invitation)
• Once your student is assigned to a bus route, their transportation schedule will appear in the app calendar

With Stopfinder, you can:

• View your student's bus route and schedule
• Set estimated time of arrival alerts (ETAs)
• Set GeoAlerts for bus arrivals and departures within a geographic area
• Receive transportation updates and notifications
• Access transportation information anytime from your mobile device

Parents and guardians must ensure that students who ride school buses follow all applicable transportation laws, rules, and district regulations. Failure to comply may result in the suspension or loss of bus riding privileges.

Parents and guardians share responsibility for their child’s behavior while using school transportation and should reinforce safe and respectful conduct.

For safety, parents and guardians should be aware of potential hazards in and around school bus loading and unloading areas, including risks associated with loose clothing, accessories, or personal items.

Parents and guardians are expected to respect the rights and safety of other students, drivers, and school staff, and should be familiar with traffic laws requiring motorists to stop for school buses.

Under Idaho Code §18-1522, unauthorized entry onto a school bus is prohibited and may result in a misdemeanor if a person:

Enters a bus with intent to commit a crime

Disrupts or interferes with the driver

Refuses to leave when directed by the driver

Parents or guardians of students who voluntarily attend a school outside their assigned attendance zone are responsible for providing their child’s transportation.

Transportation to an alternate site or child care location may be provided if space is available and the location is within the student’s school attendance area and either more than 1.5 miles from the school or located in a designated safety busing zone.

Request Alternate Site / Child Care Transportation:
Submit a request online through the Alternate Site / Child Care Transportation Request Form

Important: Under Idaho Code 33-1501, school districts cannot provide transportation between a student’s home and a child care facility.

Students who live less than 1.5 miles from their home school and do not qualify for transportation may apply to ride as an ineligible rider. Ineligible rider requests are approved based on available space and route capacity and are not guaranteed.

To request transportation, submit an online Ineligible Rider Application. Applications are reviewed in late September after bus routes and ridership have stabilized.

To determine whether your home or child care address is within a transportation zone, visit the Boundaries page or contact the Transportation and Boundaries Office.

High school students and staff in the Boise School District can ride Valley Regional Transit (VRT) buses free of charge.

Students: Ride for free by showing a valid high school student ID.

Staff: Ride for free by showing a BSD staff ID badge.

For routes, maps, policies, and schedules, visit the Valley Regional Transit website.

Bus stop locations are carefully planned to balance student safety, route efficiency, travel times, traffic conditions, visibility, road characteristics, and the number of students served in an area. Because of these factors, a student’s assigned stop may not be the closest possible location to their home. 

Bus stops are typically located within 0.25 mile of home for elementary students and 0.5 mile of home for junior high and high school students, whenever possible. Students attending a program outside of their regular home school boundary, as well as afternoon high school riders, may be required to walk longer distances to regional bus stop locations. Ineligible students living winin a school walk boundary are required to walk up to 1.5 miles, per state regulation.  

If you believe your student’s bus stop presents a safety concern or would like a stop reviewed, submit a Bus Stop Change Request Form. Each request is evaluated individually, and changes are made only when warranted and operationally feasible.

To begin the process, please contact your child’s special education teacher, who will coordinate transportation services through the Boise School District.

Under Policy #3113, the Boise School District may allow open enrollment students to ride the bus if space is available. Bus stops will not be added and routes will not be changed to accommodate open enrollment students.

Approvals are typically not considered until at least three weeks after the school year begins.

If your student needs to ride the bus on a temporary, one-day basis, please contact your child’s school office. After verifying eligibility, the school may issue a temporary bus pass, provided space is available on the bus.

School Bus Expectations and Safety

Riding the school bus is a privilege. Students must behave safely and respectfully at bus stops and while boarding, riding, and exiting. The District establishes procedures to ensure safe transportation.

Bus Driver Authority
The driver is responsible for student safety. Students must follow all directions promptly and respectfully.

Student Expectations
Students must:

• Use assigned bus stops and routes unless approved otherwise
• Arrive 5–10 minutes early and wait orderly
• Remain seated with body parts inside the bus
• Follow safe crossing procedures and driver signals
• Avoid disruptive behavior
• Not tamper with safety equipment or throw objects
• Not eat or drink on the bus unless authorized
• Follow all district conduct policies, including responsible use of personal electronic devices
• Bring only items that fit on their lap; no hazardous or prohibited items

Violations and Consequences
Minor issues may be handled by the driver; serious or repeated behavior is referred to school administration. Transportation may be suspended.

Vandalism
Students must pay for damages and may lose bus privileges for up to one year.

See the District Transportation Handbook for full details.