Transportation Services
District 300’s Transportation Services Department and Durham School Services work in conjunction with school personnel, district administrators, and parents to provide a safe and efficient service to students. The safety and security of your child is our number one priority.
Our 230 buses and vans are dispatched from three facilities which are based in Algonquin, Carpentersville, and Hampshire. Each school day we transport more than 15,000 students to over 50 different schools – including those outside of D300 for out-placed students. Our drivers travel over 300,000 miles each month.
We are proud of the fact that we have retained many of the same drivers, dispatchers and routers over the years. This is a testament to the dedication that the transportation staff has to the students of D300.
Eligibility
Students eligible for transportation include:
Students residing more than 1½ miles from their school
Students having special needs with legal Individualized Education Plan (IEP) requirements
Students who live in an area deemed hazardous by the Illinois Department of Transportation
Students NOT eligible for transportation include:
Students residing in the area up to 1½ miles from the school and who do not meet the exception criteria.
Contact Information
The volume of phone calls received by our office around the start of school exceeds the number of calls received throughout the entire school year. We do our very best to answer your call during that time and appreciate your patience.
Though any of the three facilities can assist you, directing your call to the appropriate facility is recommended.
For route numbers beginning with the number 1 or a name/word, call the Carpentersville facility 847-426-1975
For route numbers beginning with the number 2 or 3 or a name/word call the Algonquin facility 847-658-3262
Bus Routes and Stops
Postcards with routing information will be mailed to homes one week before the start of school.
All students should be at their assigned stop 5 minutes prior to scheduled pick-up. Bus schedules allow 1 minute at each stop for boarding of children with the following exceptions; 2 minutes for a child in a car seat, booster seat or safety vest; and 5 minutes for a child in a wheel chair.
Route names/numbers are displayed in the window of the bus. Route names/numbers are consistent; bus numbers are not. Children should identify their bus by the route name/number not the bus number.
Drivers will not return to stops or schools for children that have missed their bus. Transportation to and from school for children who have missed their bus becomes the parent/guardian’s responsibility.
Use the elink to find a bus route/stop information. The directions below, will help you access the information;
User id : first 5 letters of last name.first letter of first name.student id #
Password : same as user id (important to use .(period) between last name,
first name initial, and id #
Example:
Student name: John Smith
Student id number: 12345
user id: smith.j.12345
password: smith.j.12345
Weather Conditions/Late Buses
Please do not call transportation to find out whether D300 schools are closed due to weather. Instead, please check the home page of the D300 website, www.d300.org, after 6 a.m. to see if there is an announcement. Or you may visit www.emergencyclosings.com after 6 a.m. for school closings, or call 847.426.1300 after 6 a.m.
On bad weather days our drivers first and foremost concern is the safety of our students. Your patience is appreciated.
Severe weather conditions impact travel times. It is generally impossible to predict the exact time for which a bus will be delayed. Just as when you are caught in traffic, you hope the delay will be only minutes but that may not always be the case. The actual time of the delay is not known until it’s over.
New Students/Address Changes
Address information is maintained by your child’s school. Please let your school’s secretary know if your address will change at least two weeks prior to moving.
Students Not Riding the Bus (Non-Riders)
Your child’s stop will be removed from the route after three consecutive days of your child not riding. Absences exceeding three consecutive days should be reported to dispatch at the appropriate transportation facility (Algonquin, Carpentersville, or Hampshire).
Special Equipment
Special equipment is provided by D300 for students if required by the IEP (Individualized Education Plan). Children requiring special equipment will not be allowed to ride without the proper equipment. Equipment such as safety vests remain with the student. Parents are responsible for the loss of such equipment.
School Bus Radio
D300 and Durham School Services are pleased to offer age appropriate music, sponsorships and engaging programming through Bus Radio. District and school announcements as well as a variety of contests are available through this unique program. It has been found to improve overall safety by reducing student noise level and driver distraction.
Video Cameras
Video cameras are utilized on buses from time to time to monitor behavior.
Parent Pay
Parent pay transportation is not available. Even though it may seem that there is space on a route the transportation resources are stretched to the limit.