We serve over 9,000 students daily; covering 133 square miles using approximately 207 buses. Average Annual Miles Traveled: 1.8 million

Mission Statement

The Socorro ISD Transportation Department will provide school bus services to all eligible students in the safest and most efficient manner.

Goals

As members of the education community, SISD Transportation Department Bus Drivers and Monitors will serve as an example for student riders by presenting a professional image, providing positive interactions and maintaining a safe and clean school bus environment.

The Department’s goal is to gain public confidence through courteous and safe operation of district vehicles by observing all traffic laws, using defensive driving, maintaining route reliability, and dealing with all customers and the general public in a respectful and professional manner.

REGULAR ROUTES

Eligibility

Transportation is available for children who live two miles or more from their assigned school. The distance a student lives from their assigned school is measured using the shortest route that may be traveled on publicly maintained roads between the entrance to the campus and the drive way of the student’s legal residence. Students residing within two miles of their assigned school may have transportation available if their neighborhood qualifies as hazardous under the district’s hazardous transportation rating system.

Some students who participate in vocational programs or classes not offered at their school are transported between schools. Special education students are eligible for transportation if need is established through the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) process.

Pick Up Time Criteria

Regular transportation attempts to arrive at every bus stop on time. Due to the variances between individual clocks, students are asked to arrive at the bus stop 5 to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival time. Buses will load students and depart the stop. Regular buses do not wait for late students under most circumstances. All buses will wait 10 minutes after the release bell at the school for students to board. Students are expected to proceed immediately to the buses. Bus drivers are instructed not to stop or open the door for late students and/or parents because of safety concerns.

Route Design

Bus routes are created to enhance student safety while maximizing route efficiency. SISD buses are directed to stay clear of unpaved and private roads. Stops are formulated to allow students to wait off the main roadway for the bus, if possible. Stops are also created to minimize students walking in highly traveled roadways for long distances without walkways. It is the parent’s responsibility to supervise their children between their home and the bus stop and while at the bus stop. Stops are not placed in dead-end streets to minimize bus accidents while backing (Backing is a very dangerous maneuver for a school bus). Stops are spread as far apart as criteria will allow in order to help decrease the number of stops each bus will make on its route; thus minimizing riding time for the students.

Elementary/secondary students may be required to walk up to ½ of a mile to a bus stop. Bus routes are designed to limit student ride time to no more than 1 hour one-way if at all possible, however, most students ride under 45 minutes one-way. The above design criterion is for regular students only. Students in special programs are subject to different design criteria. Although, it is the students’ responsibility to get of at their respective stops, every effort will be taken so that students will be dropped off at their designated locations only. Pre-Kinder through kinder students will only be dropped off if an approved guardian or authorized adult is present. Should a guardian or authorized adult not be present, the child will be returned to the respective campus. This rule applies to all special needs children.

Bus Ridership Capacities

School buses are rated by manufacturers to have a capacity based on three riders per seat. Socorro ISD has adopted maximum ridership per bus as designated by the manufacturer or by law.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

General Information

Adaptive Equipment

• Child Safety Restraint Systems (car seats) are required by Texas law to be used by students younger than 4 years old or less than 36 inches in height. Only car seats that are provided by the Socorro ISD will be utilized. It is unsafe for students weighing more than 40 pounds to use car seats in the school bus.
• Lift Equipped Buses transport students and their mobility equipment. All wheelchairs will be secured in a forward facing position. The wheelchairs will be anchored to the bus floor and the lap tray will be removed and properly stored prior to transport. The Department will not be responsible for transporting empty wheelchair to and from school.

Policies / Procedures

• All Routing Changes (including pick-up or drop-off location) are to be initiated at the Transportation Department. Changes in service may take a few days for implementation.

Goals

• The goal for Special Needs Routing is to limit students’ time on the bus to 1 hour.
• Pick-up and drop-off sequence and times are based on the student’s proximity to the school and the medical needs of the students assigned to the route.
• The Socorro ISD Transportation Department provides curb-to-curb service for Special Education students eligible to receive special needs transportation. It is the parent/caregiver’s responsibility to meet the bus at the curb to transfer custody of the student.

TRAINING

The Transportation Department has many and varied responsibilities, some of which include:

• Assisting the Human Resources Department with the application and hiring process
• Training, interviewing and selecting potential Bus Drivers and Bus Assistants
• Guiding the potential Bus Driver through the DPS written Commercial Driver License tests. Required to obtain their Class B CDL (P & S endorsement)
• Behind the wheel training in preparation for the DPS road test
• Transit style bus training
• Route training, which includes map reading techniques
• Follow-up training of the new school bus driver
• Bus Driver and Bus Assistant annual Road-Test evaluations
• Post-Hire Training – subjects include: Time & Attendance procedures, Field Trips, Employee handbook, Emergency evacuations, Breakdown and Accident Prevention, Field training (what to do in the event of flash flooding, locations of the SISD schools), Discipline management Techniques, Understanding the Student Rider, First Aid, Special Needs and Lift Bus Training.

DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS

1. Providing the Safest and Most Efficient Transportation
a) $1.43/mile (top allotment reimbursed by state) b) Accident Ratio per 100,000 miles

2. Department will not exceed the maximum bus seating capacity loads as per manufacturer specifications.

3. Recruit and Retain Qualified Transportation Personnel
a) Turnover rate is less than 1%

4. Training, Management, Maintenance
a) Student Safety Education b) CPR/First Aid c) Driver Certification

5. The department maintains its own parts inventory and fuel facility

6. A total of 270 employees are employed. These include office staff, dispatchers, bus drivers, bus monitors, lead drivers and mechanics.