Transportation FAQs

At the start of school, Student Transportation Services (STS) Call Center volume surges due to questions about bus stops, routing, and timeliness of buses. Additional staff is provided during this time, however, Call Center wait times may average 15 minutes.

Every individual contacting STS including school leaders, parents, and community members should be greeted with a positive tone and provided the name of the representative they are speaking with. Should the caller be treated with anything less than a respectful and service-oriented interaction, please contact one of our Transportation Managers or Transportation Director.

Student Transportation Services uses the below applications and information as primary measures of service:

1. GPS (Zonar®) for tracking bus performance
2. Regional Transportation Staff reports
3. Schools and Parents notifying Student Transportation Services of issues
4. Drivers calling into Dispatch after running 10 minutes behind on a route

If your student's school bus is late it is best to call the contractor directly. Contractor information can be found online at Bus Contractors. Ongoing service issues are handled through Student Transportation Services

Drivers plan to run routes as scheduled. However, it is possible for delays to occur due to traffic, weather, construction, or other circumstances that affect movement in a large urban area.

If the bus is late, we recommend that your student stays at the bus stop location. The bus or a replacement bus will complete the route as soon as possible and you may miss the bus if you are not at the stop. Families should create a plan with their student(s) in the event that the bus is late.

You may also contact the school bus contractor that manages your student's bus route. Contractor information can be found online at Bus Contractors.

To file a complaint please contact the transportation office by email at transcom@aps.edu. Please include the following information:

• Bus number, date/time that the incident occurred
• Explanation of the incident
• Your contact information

APS provides bus transportation to:

• High School students who live more than 2 miles from their school of residence
• Middle School students who live more than 1.5 miles from their school of residence
• Elementary School students who live more than 1 mile from their school of residence

Please Note: If your student is in Kindergarten, a parent/guardian must be present at the bus stop in the afternoon. Otherwise, the bus driver will take the student back to their school.

Student Transportation Services uses internal routing and planning software to map routes based on eligibility information within the system. This determines final transportation assignments for Albuquerque resident students. Transportation Eligibility is measured from the students home address to the closest entrance of the attending school.  

APS does not provide school bus transportation to transfer students.

If there are additional questions/inquiries regarding transportation eligibility, please contact Transportation.

There are a number of reasons why transportation services may be changed. There are ongoing changes each year and modifications, which impact the transportation being provided. There are also several building relocations as schools are constructed or updated. Additionally, for a special education student, their IEP team may have determined the service is no longer required.

Student Transportation Services uses internal routing and planning software to map routes based on eligibility information within the system. This determines final transportation assignments for Albuquerque resident students.

We do not round mileage up. Student Transportation Services strictly adheres to the eligibility information provided by our routing and planning software.

Students have one bus stop in the morning and one bus stop in the afternoon. If you are requesting a stop change for a daycare or alternate address, you will need to contact the transportation office and provide the following information:

• Complete daycare/alternate address
• Name of the person responsible for your student
• A phone number that person can be reached at
• Your student's name, student ID number, and parent or guardian contact information

Normal processing for a stop change request could take up to two weeks. Additional processing time should be expected during the start of the school year due to the high volume of requests.

If you are requesting a different bus route or different stop location for five consecutive days a week during the current school year for your eligible student, you will need to email John Griego (john.griego2@aps.edu) or Marie Francis (marie.francis@aps.edu) for review of the request.

If your request is due to an emergency situation please call the appropriate Transportation Office and ask to speak to the Transportation Manager, an email will still need to be sent with the required information after having a conversation with the Transportation Manager. Location phone numbers are:

• Patrick Garcia Transportation & Education Complex (John Griego)
  4000 Osuna Rd NE
  Albuquerque, NM 87109
  (505) 880-3989 Ext: 67105
• Ruben Hendrickson Transportation Center (Marie Francis)
  7301 Los Volcanes Rd NW
  Albuquerque, NM 87121
  (505) 253-0070 Ext: 67717

Please provide a brief explanation in the email about why you are requesting the change as well as the following:

• Student's name
• Student Id number
• Attending school
• Bus number and/or bus stop location.

Your request will be checked against safety guidelines and Transportation Service Standards. Responses to requests are usually answered through email with a new assignment or a denial letter explaining the reason for the decision.

No, Student Transportation Services transports an average of 36,000 students to and from school daily. With student safety in mind, temporary transportation arrangements are not permitted.

Special education students must be met at their bus stop location unless their parent/guardian has authorized a release of responsibility, which gives permission for their student to get off the bus without someone present. The student's school must contact Student Transportation Services to give permission for a special education student to be left unattended.

For general education students in grades 1 - 12, parents do not need to be at the bus stop for their student to be let off the bus. However, we encourage all parents/guardians to have a plan in place so that their student arrives home safely.

General education students in kindergarten must be met at their bus stop location in the afternoon; otherwise, the bus driver will return the student to their school location.

If a general education student in kindergarten cannot be dropped off because someone was not there to meet them at the bus stop, or a general education student was uncomfortable getting off the bus without someone there to meet them the following will occur:

• The bus driver will contact the dispatcher to let them know that they have a student who cannot/will not get off the bus and in most cases, continue on their route to deliver any other students still on the bus.
• The dispatcher will attempt to contact the parent/guardian.
• If the parent/guardian can be reached arrangements will be made to connect the student to their parent/guardian.
• If the parent/guardian cannot be reached, the student will be returned to the school.