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Transportation FAQ
Where is the district located?
Bloomsburg Area School District is approximately 81 square miles in area, stretching across the middle of Columbia County from the Montour County line in the west to the Luzerne County line in the east. We encompass the Town of Bloomsburg and surrounding rural areas including Beaver, Main, Hemlock, and Montour townships. We provide daily transportation for more than 70% of our students to our five district schools, Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School, non-public schools within 10 miles of district boundaries, and our special education students requiring specialized transportation services.
Where can I find the times for stops and where is my stop?
Information about bus stop locations and pick-up/drop-off times can be found in your child’s Sapphire Parent Portal account. Please use this link to access the Sapphire Parent Portal: https://www.bloomsd.org/Domain/893.
How does Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School Transportation work?
Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School (CMAVTS) students are picked up at their home or group stop by our secondary buses and are brought to the secondary complex where they transfer to buses that take them to their school. We run two shuttle buses from the secondary complex to CMAVTS in the morning. In the afternoon, the same buses take students directly to their home or group stop. Students living in the walking zone meet their shuttle bus at the secondary complex.
If Bloomsburg Area school District has a scheduled day off but CMAVTS is open, the bus will pick up students at their home or stop and take them directly to school.
We made this change to the way the CMAVTS and non-public education students are picked up because it is more efficient, as we don’t have multiple buses traveling the same routes at the same times.
Why are some bus stops group stops and some stops at a student’s house?
We use both group stops and stops at homes for several reasons, being safety, efficiency, and time on the bus. In town we use group stops to better accommodate students who live outside of the walking zone. In areas where it’s difficult or unsafe to drive a bus, we use group stops. We do stop at houses in our most rural areas, and where it is safest to stop at a house.
How far will my students have to walk or how long with they be on the bus?
To be eligible for transportation, students must live outside of the state-designated walking distance to their school (1 1/2 miles for elementary students and 2 miles for secondary students) or live along a walking route deemed "hazardous" by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT). We measure the walking distance from the end of the driveway to the stop or school. Most of our group stops are within .2 miles of students’ homes. In some circumstances, such as when a road is not able to be navigated by a school bus, a student's stop may be closer to the maximum distance of 1 1/2 or 2 miles.
The state does not limit the amount of time a student spends on a bus, but we try our best to keep all students' bus rides under an hour. We recommend students be at their bus stop at least 10 minutes before the pick-up time and allow for an extra ten minutes after the pick-up time as traffic and weather may affect the amount of time it takes the bus to get to a particular stop. The same holds true in the afternoon when students are taken home from school.
Are there special rules for kindergarten students?
We require a parent/guardian to be present at the bus stop for pick-up/drop-off for kindergarten students. If a parent/guardian is not present at the bus stop, the student will remain on the bus, the driver will contact the Transportation Coordinator, and parents will be contacted. The student will then be taken back to their elementary school for the parent/guardian to pick them up.
Can I request a Special Bus Stop?
We do allow a Special Bus Stop Request to be made for purposes of child care, joint custody, and transfer requests. The Special Bus Stop Request Form will need to be filled out yearly and this is a permanent change to the students’ transportation schedule.
Only requests to use an already established bus stop will be considered; new stops will not be added. Some requests may come with stipulations that if not followed could cause the Special Bus Stop Request to be revoked.
Does the district provide Non-Pub Transportation? How does it work?
Yes, we do provide non-public school transportation. We transport students to several Christian schools in Columbia and Montour counties. Parents need to fill out an Act 372 form yearly and submit it to the Transportation Coordinator.
Just like our transportation for CMAVTS, in the morning, non-public education students are picked up at their homes or group stop by our secondary buses and are brought to the secondary complex where they transfer to a bus/van that takes them to their school. In the afternoon, the same bus/van takes students directly to their home or group stop.
If Bloomsburg Area school District has a scheduled day off but CMAVTS is open, the bus will pick up students at their home or stop and take them directly to school.
We made this change to the way the CMAVTS and non-public education students are picked up because it is more efficient, as we don’t have multiple buses traveling the same routes at the same times.
Why was a specific route changed/eliminated?
The route may have been changed or eliminated for several reasons, including efficiency, timing, or ridership changes. We review stops and routes before the start of each school year and take these and many other factors into consideration before making changes.
Can my child ride a different bus on a temporary basis?
Yes, we use Temporary Bus Passes to allow students to go home with other students, or to a different address.
Please send a note to school with your child indicating where they are getting off or on the bus and the name of the person who is meeting the bus or the name of the student they are riding with. The main office at their school will issue a bus pass for the student to give to the driver. No new stops will be created for a temporary bus stop; students will get off/on the bus at the nearest stop to the address provided on the note.
How is Student Behavior handled on the bus?
In Pennsylvania, pupil transportation is a privilege, not a right. This being the case, our principals have the authority to suspend a student from district-provided transportation due to behavioral/disciplinary issues.
We ask our students to immediately tell the bus driver about issues so they can be dealt with in a timely manner.
Contact info
Beth Mocarski, PIMS and Transportation Coordinator
570-784-5000, x 4435
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