Dear Families,  

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Division of Student Transportation (DOT) welcomes you to the start of the 2023-24 school year, and we are sharing some important updates and reminders regarding transportation services.   

Route Information 

As part of our transportation process, families will receive notifications regarding their students’ pick-up and drop-off times. For schools that have already begun the first day, you should have received text messaging and robocalls with bus route information. For schools that have not yet started, families will receive a notification at least four days before the start of school. 

If you do not receive a notification regarding your student’s pick-up and drop-off times at least four days before the start of school, please contact the Parent Resource Center at (202) 576-5000 to determine if your student’s school has submitted a transportation request form for services. 

If a transportation request form has not been submitted by your student’s school to OSSE DOT, your student may not receive transportation services on the first day of school. New routes added after the transportation request form submission deadline of Aug. 18 can take up to 10 days to begin service. 

First Day of School Information 

There is a 15-minute window for all pick-up times.  In order to maintain a level of consistency and accountability, a 15-minute window was created around the pick-up/drop-off time to ensure efficient transportation because of the unpredictability of traffic, road construction, weather, etc.  

Due to expected high call volumes during the first week of school, we ask that you wait to contact the Parent Resource Center at least 15 minutes after a missed pick-up. 

Daily Updates and Route Status 

Late and/or down routes will be updated every morning at bit.ly/DailyDOTUpdates 

Anticipated Operating Constraints 

Like 90 percent of school districts across the country, OSSE DOT continues to face a shortage of bus drivers despite aggressive hiring efforts, including signing bonuses and targeted hiring fairs. While we are deploying multiple strategies to provide timely services, including but not limited to private vendor-provided transportation, attendance incentives, and self-transportation reimbursement, the shortage of bus drivers will cause service delays for some families during the upcoming school year. We are continually monitoring the situation and will provide alerts and updates should there be any impact to routes. 

Ensuring Up-to-Date Contact Information 

To ensure you receive timely notifications, including text messages, please confirm your contact information is up to date with your student’s school. For any changes to a student’s address, or authorized receivers, or to cancel transportation, please contact your school directly. The Parent Resource Center will not be able to make changes to your student’s profile information. 

For any information related to a student’s transportation service or route status, please contact the Parent Resource Center at (202) 576-5000.