Do Private Schools Provide Buses for Students?

Going to private school includes a lot of perks for students. There are many things that make private schools desirable to attend. However, does this extend to transportation to and from school?

Private schools do not typically provide buses for students since they are not required to provide transportation for students. Parents are supposed to drop off and pick up their children every day. Some private schools will provide vans or buses from a private service for pick up and drop off.

Some private schools do send transportation for their students, but there are stipulations. There are some important things to know about school-provided transportation and your other options before you decide how you are going to get your kids to school every day

School Provided Transportation

Public schools are required by law to provide transportation for their students, usually in the form of buses. However, private schools don’t have the same requirements; charter schools, though they are considered public schools, are also exempt from this law. Since private schools aren’t legally required to send buses, they very often don’t for a few different reasons.

One of the reasons private schools don’t tend to provide buses for their students is that the students who attend private schools often live much farther away from the school than those who attend a public school. Public schools are for the students living in a certain area, but pretty much anyone can go to a private school if they get in and can pay tuition, regardless of where they live.

Students in private schools can end up living pretty far away from the school, so it isn’t practical to send buses all over the place. Some private schools have buses or van services for the students living nearby, but students who live far away are often out of luck.

When a school does provide transportation for the students, they don’t typically own the vehicles, but instead, hire a private bus or van service to pick up students. These bus or van services cost the school money, so they will often add a transportation fee to your tuition, sometimes without even informing you. If the private school you are considering has a bus or van service, chances are there will be extra fees for it.

When considering a private school, it is important to ask questions about these things. Find out if the school has transportation that will be sent to your area. If it does, ask about any fees for that service. At that point, you can decide if it is worth it to use the transportation that the school provides, or if you want to find another way to get your child to school. After all, you have many different options for getting your children to school.

Driving and Carpools

A common way that private school students get to school is getting driven by parents or, for high school students, driving themselves. Driving has advantages and disadvantages. Students have to wait for the bus if their drive, and won’t need to worry about missing the bus or how they will get back if they stay at school late.

Driving does cost you gas money, which may end up costing more than the school’s additional transportation fee. Plus, if a lot of students are driven to school, it is bad for the environment because there are so many cars on the road. It also takes up more of your time because you have to drive your children instead of sending them to a bus stop.

These problems can be alleviated if you use a carpool. Many public school parents will organize a carpool with other parents in the area. This means that you will just need to split gas money, it will be better for the environment, and you probably won’t have to spend time driving to and from school, just one or the other. It can also be a social experience for your kids because they can meet other kids in the carpool, and spend every morning riding around with them and talking. Carpools can be a lot of fun for a kid, especially if they are riding with friends.

If you can’t drive, find a carpool, or use school-provided transportation, you may be able to use a rideshare service or a taxi. Hiring someone to drive your kid to school may not be the best option, but it can certainly work. However, depending on how young they are, you probably shouldn’t send them alone. Regardless, there are several options for getting your children to school using a car.

Public Transportation

Your school may not send transportation to your area, you may not be able to drive or use rideshare, and you may not find a carpool. If this is the case, you may need to use public transportation. Some schools will provide public transportation passes for their students so that they can ride a bus, shuttle, or train to school for free. Other times, you may need to pay for public transportation yourself, but it could end up costing less than the extra fees for transportation or gas to drive to the school.

Depending on your situation, sending your kid to school on a bus, train, or shuttle may be your best option. Again, you may not want to send them alone but decided to accompany them, depending on their age, the safety of public transportation in your area, and their maturity. However, public transportation may be a good option, or it may be the only option. It may end up being the cheapest, and it is certainly good for the environment.

In the end, you need to consider your options and make a decision based on your circumstances. Figure out if the school provides transportation, find a convenient carpool, and map out the potential public transportation route. Decide which one is the cheapest, most convenient, or safest option, and decide which one is best for you based on your situation.