Frequently Asked Questions

There is no deadline to sign up for the bus, but please be aware that certain routes do fill up quickly, so it is advised to sign up for your pass as quickly as possible. Please note, if you sign up for monthly installments, your card will begin being charged immediately & will discontinue after you have made all your payments.

Yes.  Schools with limited service and middle school routes do tend to fill up quickly.

The majority of our routes provide one pick-up time in the morning and two routes home in the afternoon, please check your schools’ schedules for specifics.  Parents may opt to participate in onsite care options to fulfill their specific needs.  The only exception is Burton Valley Elementary, where we do provide later pick-up times – those routes will be determined by student enrollment.

Contact your school principal and/or the LSBTA Program Administrator immediately.  We will alert the drivers and have them issue citations if they witness this behavior.  We work closely with the school administration who addresses the behavior with all parties involved.

Your child may be entered into a progressive discipline process. If bullying is happening and does not cease, your child may be temporarily suspended from the bus, and/or may have the annual pass revoked without refund. Note: for some offenses, progressive discipline does not apply and immediate revocation of your child’s bus pass may occur.

Add an answer to this item.

Yes. If your child does not respond to the progressive discipline assigned, your pass may be suspended or revoked without refund.  Certain offenses may result in an immediate revocation of their passes.  

If a school bus accident occurs with students on the bus, First Student will contact the California Highway Patrol (CHP). CHP will then dispatch an officer to investigate the accident. The students will be required to remain on the bus until the CHP releases them. However, if the accident is on private property, e.g. a community center, a school site, etc., the CHP will not be dispatched unless there are injuries. In the event of a bus accident, LSBTA will diligently notify parents with information and updates.

Bus drivers, parents, students, teachers, members of the public or school site administrators may report student behavior violations by calling LSBTA at 925-299-3216.

A verbal warning will be issued to the student. If the student continues to violate student behavior guidelines, then an Incident Report Form will be filed. A copy of the report will be sent to the school and parents. The school may take appropriate disciplinary action and the LSBTA Program Administrator can suspend or revoke transportation privileges.  Note: For some cases, progressive discipline does not apply. 

Yes! When a bus stops and its red lights and stop arm are activated, cars in both directions must stop. Where there is a divided roadway with a median, only cars in moving the same direction as the bus must stop. There are significant fines for drivers who fail to yield to a School bus.

Yes, kids are allowed to open the windows, except when it is not practical or the bus driver dictates otherwise.

No part of a child’s body should ever extend through a window, and no item of any kind may thrown out of a window, this will result in an minimum 2-day suspension from ridging the bus

When getting off the bus, drivers will escort any students having to cross the street.

Yes. All our buses are equipped with seat belts.

Yes. All riders must wear a seat belt at all times without exception.

All students are assigned one route and one stop. If circumstances require your child to be at different homes or after school care locations, contact the Program Administrator. We will do our best to accommodate you.

If it involves Lost & Found or any issue relating directly to bus operations or a driver, call the First Student dispatch office at (925) 926-0375 between 5:30 AM and 5:00 PM on school days.  

For everything else please email the  Program Manager. 

Students may only travel to their assigned stop, unless prior arrangements have been made with the Program Administrator.  If it is for a one-time occurrence like a play date.  Parents will need to provide a written note for their child to give to the bus driver, please include your cell phone number.

This sometimes happens too due to traffic or mechanical problems. Our bus operator will have a replacement bus on the way in the case of a mechanical problem. To check on a late bus call the First Student Dispatch Office at (925) 926-0375 between 5:30 AM and 5:00 PM. 

That does sometimes happen to some kids so please be prepared. Every family should have a backup plan where kids have a way to contact a parent or neighbor that can get them to school, or that they can notify if they plan to walk.

State law requires drivers to stop traffic and escort children to the bus if they are not already standing at the stop. This throws off our schedules and annoys the neighbors. We also don’t want your kids to miss the bus by cutting it too close in the morning. Our drivers try hard to stick to the published schedule, but sometimes things happen and they just can’t be that precise.

For a detailed list of stops and schedules, please see the schedules/maps link at the top of our website.

We run the routes to accommodate the schools modified schedules.  Please note on routes that are tiered (elementary/middle school) if the timing is close together the buses may be slightly delayed for their 2nd pick-up.  We will communicate to families when these situations exist.   Don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions 925-299-3216

All buses are scheduled to depart school 5-7 minutes after their bell time. Minimum Day schedules may vary for the first and last day of school.

All routes are timed to arrive at school 5-10 minutes before the morning bell.

1) If you move or if your child is transferred to a different school, we will refund the unused portion of your pass. LSBTA must be notified within thirty (30) days of a school transfer or relocation for you to be eligible for a refund.  All passes must be returned to our office.  

2) If you cancel your pass before the start of the school year, a full refund will be issued.  Any passes canceled after the start of the year will be pro-rated based on unused months.  This must be done before the start of a new month, and the passes must be returned to our office before a refund is issued.  A $35 processing fee will be charged for cancellations after the start of school.  If you cancel and do not return your pass, a $50 processing fee will be charged.

3) If there is a billing error 

Yes.  The passes are valid for 10 months and passes purchased mid-year will be reduced to account for the months the student did not ride in the beginning.  This is done by month only.

Single ride passes are sold and are $6/per one-way ride.  Please confirm the route is not full, before purchasing single use passes.  Some routes are full and there will be no space available for your student. 

Click replacement bus pass, to order a new pass.  The cost is $10 and you will be emailed a temporary pass immediately.  Once your payment has been processed, we will mail out your permanent pass in 2-3 days.  Alternatively, you can schedule a time to pick up your new pass in our offices at 3675 Mt. Diablo Blvd, Suite 255, Lafayette, CA (right behind Diamond K)

Bus service operates from the first day of school, thru the last day of school.  

Yes. All riders need to have their LSBTA pass with them whenever they ride the bus, even if the driver already knows them.  We suggest you fasten the pass to your student's backpack so it does not get misplaced.

Yes.  your student may begin riding as soon as you purchase a LSBTA Bus Pass. When you purchase your student’s pass, you’ll get an email receipt. Please print your receipt for your student to show the bus driver until you receive your bus pass.  You may also come into our office to pick up your pass as well.

Passes will be mailed out for the 2022-23 school year the week of July 18th.  This is done to ensure that passes aren’t misplaced before the beginning of the school year.  Passes ordered after the July 18th will be mailed out 3-5 days after purchased; it will typically take a week for your pass to arrive.  Please feel free to indicate that you would like to come into our offices to pick up your pass instead of having it mailed. 

Passes can be purchased directly on our website, or by coming into our offices.  If you do plan to come in, please call to schedule an appointment. 

Add an answer Most of our routes do not offer service after the last school bell – please see your schools schedule to determine.  One exception is Stanley Middle School & OIS which offers an After School Activities Routes.  Please see OIS & Stanley Middle Schools schedule for more information to this item - please note that the drop-off times will be dependent on how many students are on the route that day.

The schedules for the 2022-23 school year have been finalized.  If there is a neighborhood that has a great demand for service, please contact us to be considered for next year’s scheduling.  We are currently examining ways to expand service in Lafayette, these changes will likely not become effective until the 2023-24 school year if possible.

Yes, we send out email notifications periodically throughout the year and for the 2022-23 school year we will be using First Student's tracking App "First View" to send out late bus/emergency notifications.  We will no longer be sending text messages.  Upon registering for the bus, all families should download the app to their phones.  

No.  Unfortunately, our funding is very limited, and we must charge full-price to cover our costs. 

Each bus costs roughly $644/day to run, this time 180 school days = $115,920.  60% of our costs are covered by Measure J Sales tax funds, the remainder is paid by parent contributions.  When you do the math, it's actually an excellent value!  Round trip riders pay under $5.50 a day to ride the entire year.

Our operator, First Student, is a nationwide leader with an unparalleled safety record. All First Student drivers undergo a rigorous training, certification and supervision process that has kept First Student a national leader in student safety.  These drivers are focused professionals – your child’s safety is their number one concern.

School buses are some of the safest vehicles on the road today. Our buses are fully equipped with seat belts, steel reinforced frames, GPS and video monitoring to ensure your child’s safety.  According to National Safety Council Statistics, School buses are 172 times safer than passenger cars in terms of occupant deaths per 100 million passenger miles traveled. In fact, school buses rank much better than any other form of surface transportation.  

Yes, however when transportation services are called for in an Individual Education Plan (IEP), these services are provided directly through your School District. 

The majority of districts terminated district bus programs in the early 2000’s due to lack of funding. Only special needs students receive District busing now. With state budget cuts in education, there simply isn’t funding available for the high cost of transportation. That money has been diverted to the classroom. 

Please use this link to review our eligibility requirements.  If you feel your family is eligible, register on our home page; enter requesting free/reduced transportation in the comments field, and forward all requested documentation to Free/Reduced Pricing Request