IMPORTANT: In order to assure uninterrupted transportation service for your child and to ensure Escambia County Public Schools (ECPS) can contact you in the event of an emergency, please ensure you contact your school immediately with or telephone number change information. (Be prepared to provide proof of residence as well.) Once changes are recorded into ECPS's database, the data will appear in school bus routing software, normally within 24 hours.

Eligibility for Transportation

Students are eligible for transportation if they are legally enrolled in Escambia County Public Schools and they live greater than or equal to:

• 1 mile from their zoned school if they are elementary school students

   

• 1.5 miles from their zoned school if they are middle school students

   

• 2 miles from their zoned school if they are high school students

   

* Florida Administrative Code establishes the distance between home and school as 2 miles for all students, but ECPS has set a different criteria.

Students attending certain Choice schools and programs outside the student’s residential attendance zone may request transportation service from an existing bus stop within the student’s destination school attendance zone.  These requests are made via the Choice Transportation Request and must be approved by the Transportation Department.

Walking Distance to the Bus Stop

Whether a parent chooses to have their children walk what is known as a “reasonable walking distance” is left to the parent’s discretion.  However, it is the distance at which transportation services begin.  The reasonable walking distances between home and the bus stop are:

• 1/2 mile for elementary school students

   

• 1 mile for middle and high school students

   

* Florida Administrative Code establishes the distance between home and the bus stop as 1.5 miles for all students, but ECPS has set a different criteria.

Note:  Distances apply only to the extent that publicly-maintained all-weather roads can be accessed.

Transportation Accommodations

Click HERE for information on Transportation Accommodations.

Special (ESE) Transportation Services

Escambia County Public Schools provide special student transportation for ESE and Section 504 students whose Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan requires it.  The student’s school will review the IEP and submit a Specialized Transportation Services Slip to the Transportation Department in order to arrange for these services.

Parent Responsibilities

1. Ascertain and ensure your children arrive at the bus stop on time (at least five minutes before the planned bus arrival time).

    

2. Provide the necessary protection for your children when going to, from, and at bus stops.  Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring the safety of their students during the portions of each trip to and from home and at the assigned bus stop (including center-to-center bus stops) when ECPS provides bus transportation.

    

3. Accept joint responsibility with school authorities for the proper conduct of your children.

    

4. Make a reasonable effort to understand and cooperate with those responsible for student transportation.

    

5. Pay for any damage to a bus or equipment caused by acts of vandalism by your children.

    

6. Comply with established ECPS Pre-K Transportation Guidelines if you have Pre-K students who are transported on board District buses.

    

7. Meet your children at the bus stop at bus arrival time in the afternoon if your children utilize center-to-center (C2C) bus stops.

    

8. Ensure your student’s address and contact information remains current and accurate in the school’s student database

    

Bus Stop Etiquette

Remind your children that while they are at the bus stop, they need to respect people’s property. They should not trample on lawns, flowers, and shrubs, and they should not throw things or litter. Bus stops are positioned for optimum safety and convenience of all students. Abuse of the bus stop will result in it being re-positioned farther from home.

Bus Stop Change Requests

Click HERE for information on Bus Stop Change Requests.