Bus Stop Guidelines
Before the start of each school year, the Upper St. Clair Board of Education approves the list of school bus stops in compliance with School Board Policy 810 - Transportation. With this approval, the Board establishes routes and bus stops with the primary goal of providing safe and cost-effective transportation for our children. The routes are designed to meet Board guidelines that address the numerous factors which are summarized as follows:
WALK ING DISTANCE TO STOP: The walking distance from the student’s home to the bus stop or school is
- Levels K-6: 0.3 miles or less
- Levels 7-12: 0.5 miles or less
Students residing on cul-de-sacs or dead end streets may be required to walk a greater distance.
RIDE TIME: The one-way ride time from when the student boards the bus until he/she disembarks at school or at home is
- Elementary Levels (K-4): 30 minutes
- Middle Levels (5-8): 45 minutes
- Secondary Levels (9-12): 60 minutes
Students who attend schools outside the community of Upper St. Clair may have longer ride times based on the location of their school and traffic conditions used for routing the buses.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF STUDENTS AT BUS STOPS:
- Elementary Level (K-4): 15 students
- Middle Level (5-8): 15 students
- Secondary Levels (9-12): 25 students
BUS CAPACITY DATA: The maximum load limit for a 66-passenger bus is provided per level.
- Grades K-6: 62 Students
- Grades 7-8: 58 Students
- Grades 9-12: 55 Students
Load limits may be adjusted by the administration up to 66 passengers in order to provide maximum efficiency.
DISTANCE BETWEEN BUS STOPS: Bus stops may be up to ¼ mile apart and will typically be located at corners and intersections. Exceptions will only be made for locations on roadways designated as hazardous, or as determined by the School Board and/or any applicable State Laws.
HAZARDOUS ROADS: All requirements of the “Hazardous Roads” Act will be followed.
District transportation vehicles will not;
- travel into streets or roads terminating in a cul-de-sac or dead end, unless required to do so by State regulations;
- travel into developments, when construction equipment, materials or vehicles may block or hinder safe access;
- “back-up” during their regular routes unless required for safety or economic reasons;
- stop at a private residence, unless road conditions warrant the need to do so, in order to provide a safe bus stop location.
District transportation vehicles will be routed in the most efficient manner consistent with safety and applicable State laws.
Bus stops, subjected to other provisions of these guidelines, will be established in housing plans having loop or through streets, for public and private school students, as required by law. Exceptions will be made where State regulations prevail, with regard to the transportation of handicapped and special education students.
In establishing bus stops, great consideration is given to the following aspects of the community:
- Upper St. Clair Township is approximately 10.5 square miles.
- District transportation vehicles transport approximately 4,400 students to 40 public, private and special education schools each day. Approximately 47 school buses are used to perform nearly 300 individual bus routes each day.
- Transportation to private schools is provided up to 10 miles from all borders of Upper St. Clair Township, as required under 24 PS 13-1361 of the Public School Code of 1949.
- The Township of Upper St. Clair has a very limited number of sidewalks throughout the community. Therefore, most students must wait for buses on the roadways or on properties near the bus stop locations.
- The Township of Upper St. Clair has a limited number of street lights. Therefore, some students may have to walk to stops in the dark during the winter months.
Since school bus stops are approved annually at the start of each school year, all requests for an additional bus stop, or for a bus stop relocation must be presented in written form to the Director of Transportation, with clear references supporting that the request is in accordance with the approved District guidelines. This request may be sent through the US mail or electronically. While the transportation staff attempts to honor parent requests, resources do not permit us to adjust for all such changes. In addition, the limited transportation staff prevents us from responding to requests as quickly as all of us would like.
Jonn Mansfield, Director of Transportation
412-833-1600, ext. 3451 | jmansfield@uscsd.k12.pa.us