Transportation

Bus schedule information is mailed to families in the Robbinsdale Area School district before the first day of school. 

• Eligible students in grades K-12 receive a postcard in the mail with the student's bus number, pick-up location and pick-up/drop-off times.
   
• If you do not receive a card in the mail before the first day of school,
  • you may live within the walk zone of your attendance area school;
  • your student is attending a school in the district which is outside of your attendance area (and is not a magnet school) and therefore you are responsible for transportation;
  • you have a high school student who travels to and from school via independent means and you have opted out of district transportation.  
     
• If your student needs to ride a bus at a location other than their home address (such as a daycare location), please inform your student's school.

Robbinsdale Area Schools transportation and bus provider, Durham School Services, have a new mobile app for families: BusZone.

This will replace the Bus Tracker app that families have been using. BusZone has enhanced features that allow parents/guardians to safely and securely check on their child’s school bus. (Check out the BusZone Info Flyer, also available in Spanish) To set up BusZone:

• Download the BusZone app from the App Store or Google Play.
• Enter the School Access Code: 3103SD281
• In the search field, enter the bus or route number you want to follow. Complete this step for all the buses your students ride throughout the week.
• Enter your child’s unique student ID. This is the same ID you used in ParentPortal.
• Create alert zones around drop-off and pick-up points.
• When your child’s bus enters an alert zone, you will receive a notification by email or text.

Visit the BusZone website to read or download a guide for parents/guardians, also available in Spanish. Robbinsdale Area Schools is not responsible for the functions or content of BusZone. Please email buszone3103@nellc.com if you have questions about the BusZone app.

Families are encouraged to remove the previous Durham Bus Tracker app as it no longer displays active information.

Here are a few reminders for drivers sharing the road with buses:

• Watch for buses that are loading or unloading children. Be prepared to stop when the bus stops. The most dangerous area around a school bus is the space 20 feet around the vehicle since this radius falls into the driver’s blind spot. Be sure to stop more than 20 feet behind a school bus to allow passengers a safe space for entering and exiting.
• NEVER pass a stopped school bus. It’s illegal to pass a school bus that has stopped to load or unload children. This rule includes passing a bus from either direction.
• Always maintain a safe following distance. Keep as much space as possible between your vehicle and the bus in front of you. If you’re in front of a school bus, it’s important you’re paying attention to traffic and situations on the road that might cause you to slam on your brakes.
• In traffic, avoid “cutting” in front of a bus. Many bus drivers leave a safe following distance between the bus and the car ahead of them to ensure a safer environment for passengers. Even if your car can fit into the space, drivers should always avoid cutting in front of a bus or transit vehicle.

The Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety has additional tips, as well as this video talking about the importance of stop-arm safety.

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:

• Any changes to bus stops will happen after Oct. 15, unless it is a safety concern.
• It may take up to 14 days for changes to take place after requested.
• 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 members.

Bus stop change request form

Robbinsdale Area Schools strives to accommodate as many bus riders as possible. Bus transportation is provided for students who live within our district's boundaries.

Students who open enroll into Robbinsdale Area Schools may request bus transportation using this form. After this form has been submitted, we will look for an active bus route that has room for additional students. The transportation department will process these requests after Oct. 1.

Please note it could take up to 14 days to process these requests. We may not be able to accommodate all bus transportation requests for families who live outside of school district boundaries.

Closest Bus Stop Request Form

Please complete the online address change form with the most accurate information. After completing the form, please email proof of address to enrollment_options@rdale.org.

Proof of address includes:

• A utility bill (gas, water, electric, trash) delivered within the last 30 days
• Valid driver’s license or state issued identification card
• Rent statement dated within the last 30 days
• Purchase agreement (signed and dated) for home within district boundaries; or a lease agreement (signed and dated) with lease dates

Please use this form to request transportation to and from a childcare site. This form is not to be used for Adventure Club. 

A separate request is needed for each student. Requests may take up to two weeks to process. We appreciate your patience.

You may call or email enrollment_options@rdale.org or 763-504-8080 with any questions. 

Childcare Transportation Request

"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
   

Robbinsdale Area Schools (Rdale) is entering the second year of its opt-in transportation system. All families with students enrolled in Rdale schools must fill out the bus transportation survey for the 2023-24 school year. The survey must be completed for each student by Monday, May 22.

To fill out the survey, families must log-in to their Infinite Campus Parent Portal account. For those who haven’t accessed their Parent Portal account before, Rdale has video tutorials demonstrating how to log into the Infinite Campus Parent Portal from a phone or from a computer. Families can also contact district support staff with questions about accessing the Parent Portal at registrar@rdale.org.

The opt-in survey is an annual requirement for all students – both those who need bus transportation, and those who do not, as well as those who receive specialized transportation. Completing one for the current school year doesn’t apply to the upcoming school year. 

Even though the opt-in program requires all families to complete a survey annually for each student, it is important to note that every student who is eligible for and needs busing will have transportation to and from school.

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. 

Preschool

To ensure the safety of our youngest learners, please be aware of the following procedures for preschool students.

• Students must wear bus tags with their name and correct drop-off information every day for the entire year. It is recommended students wear a bus tag and have a copy of the tag attached to their backpack.
   
• Preschool students are required to be seated in the front seats of the bus.
   
• Preschool students must accompanied at the bus stop for both pick-up and drop-off with a designated adult. The privilege to ride the bus will be jeopardized if this is not followed.
   
• If there is no one at the bus stop to meet the student, the driver will keep the student aboard and will make a second attempt to drop-off, and will also contact dispatch for further instructions.
   
• If you live within the "walk zone," your student will not have bus transportation provided; your student is required to have an adult escort them to and from school. 
   
• Preschool children must be picked up and dropped off at the same location every day.
   

Daycare

In order to be eligible for busing to and from daycare, your student's daycare must be within the attendance area of your school.

For those families whose students attend before- or after-school care at the YMCA on 42nd Avenue in New Hope, busing is only available for Sonnesyn, RSI,  SEA and FAIR School Crystal.