Routes

Routes are planned in accordance with Colorado Department of Education regulation, which in part:

• Prohibits the unloading of any passenger who must immediately cross a major thoroughfare, except for two land highways if crossing can be done in a safe manner as determined by the local school board in consultation with the local traffic regulatory authority.
• Prohibits the loading/unloading of passengers onto the side of any major thoroughfare when an adjacent road or street would provide access to the passenger's destination.

According to State regulation a major thoroughfare is defined as "a freeway, U.S. highway outside any incorporated limit, interstate highway, highway with four or more lanes, or a highway or road with a median separating multiple lanes of traffic."

Stops

The number one criteria when establishing bus stop locations is providing a safe location for children to walk to and wait for the bus. Public property, such as parks, mailbox clusters, church parking areas, or school property, is the preferred location for bus stops. A private residence of a student riding the bus might also be selected as a bus stop before other private property is selected. Bus stops are situated so that students walk 0.5 miles or less from their homes to the stop, except if they live in a location that is not accessible to the bus such as a cul-du-sac, dead-end street, etc.

A bus stop may be changed at any time for the following reasons:

• student safety
• property abuse
• routing or equipment efficiency
• change in student population

Process for changing/adding a stop location begins with a request or recommendation that a bus stop be moved to a different location. The request may come from the driver, parent, school, or resident. The request is reviewed by the route manager/scheduler, and is discussed by the appropriate staff and driver. If the final decision is made to move the stop, children, parents and school personnel are notified, and route sheets are revised. Drivers are instructed to load and unload students only at those stops that have been authorized by transportation staff.

Authorized stops are bus stop locations that are authorized and designated as student pick-up or drop-off locations. The only reason an unauthorized stop might occur would be due to severe weather or an emergency situation.