Transportation

Robbinsdale Area Schools is moving to an opt-in transportation system starting in fall of the 2022-23 school year to help ensure the most efficient routing of buses.

All families with students enrolled in Robbinsdale Area Schools must fill out a bus transportation form for the 2022-23 school year.

If you need transportation, it is very important that you fill out a form as this is how we route buses. Even if you do not need transportation, we need you to complete the form for each student and select no to the question: “Does this student need bus transportation?”

Moving forward, all families will need to fill out this form every year, whether or not their student(s) used bus transportation the previous year. If your situation changes, families will be able to make changes to the opt-in form at any time by contacting our Transportation Department at Transportation@rdale.org.

Our bus tracker app for families to view scheduled arrival and drop off times for bus routes in real time. This free app allows families to:

• View student bus routes in real time, including bus routes for multiple students simultaneously.

• See scheduled arrival times for each stop.

• Receive messages that notify users of route delays and schedule changes.

• The app is available in English and Spanish

Download the Durham Bus Tracker app through the Apple app store or Google play.

• In the Apple app store, search for Durham Bus Tracker and then download the app.

• In Google Play, search Durham Bus Tracker and then download the app.

Families can also access the Durham Bus Tracker from a computer at m.durhambustracker.com.

After you have downloaded the app, create an account and login to track your student’s bus. Please note, you will need your student's ID number when creating your account. This can be found in your parent portal.

Bus Tracker Instructions

Bus Tracker Instructions - Spanish

Bus Tracker Instructions - Somali

"Walk zones" are established for each school. Students who live in the walk zone of their enrolled school are not eligible to ride the bus. 

Walking Distances to Schools

Elementary School (Kindergarten - 5th Grade):  5/10 of a mile
Middle School (6th - 8th Grades):  7/10 of a mile
High School (9th - 12th Grades):  1 mile
 

Walking Boundary Maps (PDFs)

• FAIR Piligram Lane
• Forest Elementary
• Lakeview Elementary
• Meadow Lake Elementary
• Neill Elementary
• Noble Elementary
• Northport Elementary
• Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School (RSI)
• School of Engineering and Arts (SEA)
• Sonnesyn Elementary
• Zachary Lane Elementary
• FAIR School Crystal
• Plymouth Middle School
• Robbinsdale Middle School
• Sandburg Middle School
• Armstrong High School
• Cooper High School
   

If you would like to make a request to change your student's bus stop, please review the information below and  complete the bus stop change request form.

• Buses will not travel into cul-de-sacs, dead-end streets or other areas where the driver cannot safely maneuver the bus. Most private roads are also excluded (i.e. apartment complexes and home associations). These roads are typically not built to the same standard of a public road. Issues such as vehicle weight, road width, congestion, snow clearing, etc., prevents their use. An exception to this may be a bus that is transporting students with disabilities on our special education system. All students, regardless of age or grade who reside in these areas will need to walk to the assigned bus stop regardless of distance.

• Availability of sidewalks is not part of the criteria used in establishing bus stops. Much of the Robbinsdale School District attendance area was designed without sidewalks.
   
• Buses drive by many students’ homes every day. The bus driving by doesn't warrant adding/changing a bus stop. Visibility from the home to the bus stop is not part of our criteria for establishing bus stops. Bus stops are collection points in neighborhoods. Statistically, bus stops are safer at the corner than in front of your home. House stops are not only less safe, they are simply not practical for typical busing operations. Again, our special education system would be the exception. We strongly encourage families to walk with and supervise their student at the bus stop as well as meeting their student at the bus stop at drop off.
   
• We are unable to establish stops based on personal circumstances such as employment, daycare, siblings or medical circumstances of another family member.

• 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. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Bus Stop Change Request Form