Children can’t learn if they don’t get to and from school in a safe and timely manner. That’s where the Durham Public Schools Transportation Services Department comes in. Transportation Services oversees the safe delivery of more than 18,000 students to and from school, 180 days each year.

There are nearly 300 buses in the DPS fleet. They travel four million miles per year! The Transportation Services Department is one of the school district’s largest, with 425 employees. This includes bus drivers, mechanics, administrators and clerical staff.

What do you need to know about school buses and transportation? Let's start with the basics.

Where is my student's bus stop?

Bus routes, schedules, and stops will be provided to families through each individual student's school. Visit or call your school to get the most up-to-date information.

How do I make sure my child is safe at the bus stop and on the bus?

First, know that our drivers go through regular training to ensure that they are operating with safety and security always in mind. But second, it is important to remember that parents play an important role in modeling and teaching school bus safety. It's everyone's responsibility!

The state has implemented a set of new school bus crossing signals for drivers to use and students to follow. Learn them yourself, and show them to your student.

Additional safety tips are available on our School Bus Safety page.

What about other ways to get to and from school?

Some DPS families choose to use GoDurham or GoTriangle for their trip to school. Check out our transit guides to see school-specific trip planning information. Our Safe Routes to School webpage has information about planning a walking or biking trip to school.

Transportation Fleet Services is submitting this note as important information for all schools. The dates noted below are the published dates that all transportation changes must be received by to ensure first day of school bus service.

Transportation Service Request Deadlines:

Summer Learning - April 30, 2025

Year-Round Schools - May 16, 2025

Specialty Schools - May 16, 2025

Traditional Schools - June 13, 2025