Stop locations and times are subject to minor revision after the start of the school year. Your student's bus driver will communicate any changes to pick up times prior to their being implemented. Please remember to have your children at the appointed stop 5 minutes prior to the stated pick up time.

Please contact the Transportation Department with specific questions.

Mr. Larry Martinez,

Director of Transportation

630.636.2999

email

Who do I call at Transportation?

Very often, people contact transportation on the main number (636-2999) with a request or a concern suited to a particular member of the department.  As a way to streamline communication, the following is a guideline to help get you directly in touch with the right person.

Cathy Entile – Supervisor, Special Services
Phone: 636-2976
E-mail: centile@oswego308.org
Special service routing, communication with special service parents and out-of-district providers, medical issues with special needs students, and anything related to special service transportation.

Lori Lebeau – Dispatch
Phone: 636-2970
E-mail: llebeau1025@oswego308.org
Primary dispatcher, late bus issues, adding and deleting students on buses, making route corrections and changes.

Joanie Coy – Supervisor, Safety and Training
Phone: 636-2977
E-mail: jcoy@oswego308.org
Accident investigations, driver safety concerns, crossing guard issues, bus safety equipment

Bob Kuch – Supervisor, Fleet and Maintenance
Phone: 636-2973
E-mail: rkuch@oswego308.org
Vehicle maintenance, SMARTY Bus scheduling and curriculum, accident investigations.

If for any reason, the person you contact directly is unable to assist you, please call:

Larry Martinez – Director of Transportation
Phone: 636-2972
Email: lmartinez@oswego308.org

2007-2008 Bus Routes

We have only included morning stop times for each route.  In most cases, afternoon routes run in the opposite direction as the mornings, and depart from school approximately 8-10 minutes following their release.

Special Service routing, ELL, Dual Language and other special routing information is not displayed here.  For information about transportation for those programs, contact the Transportation Department at 636-2999.

In addition to these text files, you may access the district’s E-Link to see route information.  Information on E-Link is in real time, so any periodic adjustments to stop times will be reflected in a more timely manner there.  As with these text files, information on E-Link assumes regular education transportation, special programs are not reflected there.

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E-link

E-Link is a web-based interface provided by Verstrans to allow parents and students to find their transportation information.

Each student in the district has been assigned a unique user name and password. The password can be changed by the user after the first sign using the original password. Each student’s user name is their first initial, followed by a period, then their last name.

Example: John Doe – user name would be "j.doe".
The password is the same as the user name.

Once in the system, if you wish to change the password, use the "Set Options" link, and follow the directions.

To access student transportation information, use the "Work with Students" link. This will take the user to the next page, where the "School/Transportation Search" is the only available option. After clicking on that link, the use will be at the "Simple School/Transportation Search" page, where specific information can be entered.

In Step One, enter grade of the student whose information you are searching for. In Step Two, enter the house number and street name. If a street name is entered that is not immediately recognized, or is entered without a suffix (St., Dr., Ct., etc), then when the "Find School/Transportation Information" button is entered, the system may present the user with choices of street names to select from.

The transportation information that is returned is hypothetical, and should not be construed or accepted as actual student data. NO actual student information is available to student users of the system, in order to protect the privacy of students and families. The information provided is relevant only to students in regular education programs. Those students attending special service programs, ELL, Dual language and programs not housed at their home school of attendance have special transportation requirements. Information about those students transportation can be obtained by calling the Transportation Department directly at 636-2999.

Go to the E-Link Website

Frequently Asked Questions

The bus drives right past my house. Why can't it stop at my house?
The higher frequency of stops makes the motoring public impatient. This results in people driving around the bus, a dangerous situation. It also delays the bus by increasing the number of stops and makes the student ride time longer. Stops are placed to be convenient for groups of
students in the subdivision.

I can't see the bus stop from my house.
District 308 provides transportation for over 9,000 students. We are not able to position bus stops so that all parents are able to see the stop from their home.
 

We live on a cul-de-sac. Will the bus come down our street?
Except for special education circumstances, buses are generally not routed into a cul-de-sac. Cul-de-sac stops are considered unwise for the following reasons:

1. Cul-de-sac stops create blind spots often causing students to enter or exit in a danger zone around the bus (at a corner stop or street curb stop, they enter/ exit outside the danger zone)

2. Different styles and sizes of buses make maneuvering in cul-de-sac difficult

3. The rear of the bus has potential to swing around close to the sidewalk

4. Parked cars and other obstacles create road hazards that may not be seen until entering the cul-de-sac and at a point of no return.

5. Backing up a bus when students are on board is strictly forbidden

6. Property damage to mailboxes and landscaping.

Why do some children have to cross the street to board the bus?

We are not able to route buses so that all children can board the bus on the door side. We suggest if you prefer, that children wait on the side of the street where they reside. The bus will stop traffic in all directions to accommodate students that need to cross the street.

My child carries a large musical instrument and/or heavy backpack. He is the only student using the stop. It needs to be closer to our home.

Bus stops are centrally located for all students along a route. Bus stops are not changed to accommodate one or more students because that may displace other students further from their home.

I leave for work early and can't watch my child get on the bus. Can't the stop be at my home?

In order to be consistent and fair in placement of bus stops, District 308 is not able to establish stops based on personal circumstances.

Why is my child's bus late?

Weather, traffic, driver absenteeism, maintenance difficulties and unforeseen incidents are responsible for delays in arrival of school buses. Please know that we do everything humanly possible to have all buses running on schedule each and every day. In the event your bus does not arrive as scheduled, contact Transportation at 630.636.2999. Please allow 10-20 minutes before calling.

Why can't you call when you know the bus will be late?

There are as many as 50-60 students on each bus. It would be impossible to contact everyone in such a short time frame and many parents are not home or waiting at the stop for their child.

Why can't you come further into my subdivision or cul-de-sac?
Buses come in various lengths, widths, heights and weights. The length is what limits the school bus to be maneuvered in cul-de-sacs and tight places. Most subdivisions are not designed with school bus transportation in mind.

My child is starting Kindergarten. Will the bus pick my child up in front of the house?

There are no special laws or requirements for transporting students enrolled in kindergarten. Kindergarten students are eligible for transportation services if they live more than 1.5 miles from the school. AM Kindergarten students ride the elementary school bus in to school and a special mid-day bus home. PM kindergarten students ride a mid-day bus to school and take the elementary bus home. Mid-day buses make stops for Kindergarten students off at their home whenever possible. Kindergarten students will not be dropped off without a parent or authorized guardian visible to receive the student. If no one is home to receive the student, that student will be returned to the school and the parent will have to make arrangements to pick the student up from the school.

Why are there only a few students on some buses and my child's bus is crowded?

Decisions regarding each bus route are made by careful planning based on information from school registration, previous similar routes and Department of Transportation data. Most routes are fixed in late summer and changes made after the first three weeks of school or sooner.

Distance from school, number of buses and drivers, and grouping of students and neighborhoods are all factors that are considered. Sometimes it is just not possible to have the exact number of students on every run.

Guidelines

Why is there an address stop on the route if buses don't make home stops?

Address stops may occur for a special ed student on a regular route, mid-point on a long street, on a four lane road, or on a mid-day kindergarten route.

How far can a bus stop be from the student's home?

Bus stops may be up to 1/2 mile from the student's residence. The stops in District 308 are less than 1/2 mile from student's residences.

Transportation - Establishment and Maintenance of Bus Stop Locations

In developing student bus stop locations a number of factors are considered:

• We route school buses in the most efficient manner consistent with State law, School Board guidelines and established professional Student Transportation assessments regarding establishment of safe school bus stops.
• Realizing there are conflicting issues involved with school bus stop locations, the factors utilized in establishing a new stop or reviewing a current location involve:

1. Examining potential safety issues at the waiting/loading zone.
2. Student access to the bus stop.
3. Visibility at the stop location for passing motorists.  There should be 500 feet visibility in either direction for other vehicles.
4. Maintaining State mandated distance for activation of the school bus 8-way warning lights and stop signs.
5. Because of the danger inherent in the backing of school buses, whenever possible, bus routes and stop locations will be established to preclude the necessity of having buses back up.
6. Routes will be designed to avoid having our buses travel into areas terminating at cul-de-sacs or dead ends.
7. Whenever possible, buses will not be routed into developments where other vehicles or objects may block or hinder safe travel through the development.
8. In recognizing each school bus stop, on the district’s roads and highways, presents a hazard for students as well as the motoring public, the Transportation Department attempts to keep the number of stops to a minimum.

• The Transportation Director has the responsibility and authority to develop all bus routes based on the guidelines established by the Illinois Department of Transportation. 
• Changes will only be made following review and approval by the Director of Transportation. 
• School Bus Drivers are not permitted to change stop locations without approval of the Director.  Drivers who stop at locations other than those established by the Director are in violation of Department policy. This violation subjects the driver to department disciplinary action.

Procedure for Requesting Stop Location Change

• Requests for changes to bus stop locations must be in writing.
• Indicate the student’s name, school, route number, requested stop location and the reason for the request.
• Requests can be communicated to the Director of Transportation by the following methods: Fax 630.554.0478; e-mail transportation, or the request can be mailed to:

Oswego CUSD 308 Transportation Dept.

100 Plank Road

Oswego, IL   60543

 

• Upon receiving the request, the Director of Transportation will respond in a timely manner.
• Responses to change requests are answered in the order received.

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