Updated October 8, 2021
Can the district reimburse for an Uber or Lyft ride?
No. Rideshare companies explicitly don’t allow users under the age of 18 to set up an account or use their services without an adult present. Here is a link to Uber and Lyft rules about minors.
Is this district exploring the possibility of organizing carpooling to help families get to school?
Unfortunately, the district cannot encourage or organize parent carpools as it is a liability issue.
Can I request a bus stop be added in front of my daycare provider’s home?
Due to the current bus driver shortage, we are unable to add additional bus stops for licensed daycares at this time. We hope to be able to provide this option in the future.
I saw my student’s bus number driving around. How will I know when this bus is up and running?
We are currently using buses for routes that are not currently running to train new drivers. We will notify families as soon as their bus route is staffed and operating.
What bus numbers are affected by the bus drivers shortage?
Impacted bus numbers include: 1, 206, 212, 226, 233, 238, 244, 245, 246.
My student’s bus didn’t show up but is not listed as one of the bus numbers impacted. What should I do?
Please contact Durham Transportation at 763-504-8105 or our transportation department at 763-504-8179.
When do you expect to have the transportation issues resolved?
We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and will continue to update families.
One of my student’s routes was listed as impacted but one was not. Will they still have transportation for the route that is not listed?
Yes, if your student’s route (AM or PM) is not listed as impacted your student will still have transportation on that route.
If my student’s bus route is canceled, how will I be notified?
Please know that the driver shortage may impact any of our bus routes on any given day. Even if you are assigned a route please create a back-up plan in case your child’s route is canceled.
In addition to not being able to staff 12 bus routes with drivers, Robbinsdale Area Schools does not have the capability to fill routes with substitute drivers at this time. Since school began, additional bus routes have needed to be canceled because drivers were not available to work. Unfortunately, this is our reality until we are able to hire and train more drivers.
If a driver calls out of work, we will work to notify families on the impacted bus route(s) as soon as possible via text message, robocall, email and a notification on the Durham Bus Tracker app.
You should also download the bus tracker because that is being updated as soon as it’s known a route is canceled or delayed.
Please update your contact information to include text message notifications in Parent Portal to receive these emergency notifications.
What information can be shared with impacted families?
We have shared the most up-to-date information we have with families. We will continue to provide updates via email.
What is the district doing to address this issue?
We are having internal conversations daily to discuss a variety of options so we can make sure our busing operation runs much smoother and meets the needs of our students and their families.
How did the transportation department determine which bus routes to cancel?
The Transportation department did not cancel routes, we were unable to staff 12 routes with drivers.
The routes that are filled had already been assigned to drivers who had trained for and practiced their routes. The unassigned routes, by default, became the routes with no bus driver. Our current drivers, many from out of state, are not prepared to change to another route with no notice. Drivers have a lot to be responsible for: knowing the routes, maintaining student safety, keeping order, and of course following traffic laws and laws specific to buses.
What is the process for hiring a bus driver?
This is a two-month process of mandatory training, testing, certification, and finally licensure with a Class A commercial drivers license, with a school bus endorsement and passenger endorsement. Because the State of Minnesota has a backlog of commercial driver tests (they are now scheduling such tests into November), Durham has hired an independent, third-party testing company in Bloomington to help expedite the process.
What are you doing to recruit and hire new bus drivers? Why is this taking so long?
We are also expediting the hiring process as best we can. Durham Transportation hired an independent testing company that can test our drivers more quickly than the State of Minnesota can.
One issue with hiring is that drivers must pass a series of tests to become a school bus driver. The statewide average for passing the bus driver’s test on a person's first attempt is 19 percent. It is a difficult test designed to make sure our drivers are ready for the job.
The test is difficult, and it should be, to ensure drivers are ready to safely transport students to and from school.
Can you reduce the number of bus routes to create a more efficient transportation plan with fewer drivers?
In response to this shortfall the District has rerouted our bus paths from 76 bus routes run in previous years to 67 this year. This is a significant tightening of our system and allows us to reduce the number of drivers needed.
How are you supporting the students without transportation who do not have a way to school?
We are using passenger vans with contracted drivers when available to provide transportation for students who have no other means of getting to school.
Is this district reimbursing for mileage or providing bus cards?
We are not providing reimbursement or bus cards at this time. We are currently exploring all options.
