Transportation

Information to Parents and Students (FL Code) 

1. The school bus is considered an extension of the classroom and student behavior as outlined in the Student Handbook is expected. The driver has complete authority in the bus from the moment it leaves the school until it returns. This applies to all bus transportation, including but not limited to routes, athletics, field trips, etc. Respect for the driver is expected.
2. No eating or drinking (other than water) is allowed on the bus.
3. The driver may, at any time, arrange the seating of students and assign seats.
4. No student is permitted on board any CDS vehicle unless the driver is present.
5. Students will be expected to follow CDS 4 Basic Bus Safety Rules:
   • Sit properly and face forward – Students are required to remain seated while the bus is in motion and refrain from obstructing aisles with their legs or feet, with books or backpacks, etc.
   • Wear the seat belt in the approved manner whenever the bus is in motion.
   • Keep hands, feet & personal items confined to oneself – Respect for the rights and property of other students, as well as for school property, is expected.  Students may not put any part of their body out of the window at any time.  Windows may be opened only to the 2^nd opening notch.
   • Talk quietly – Shouting out the window and excessive noise within the bus are not permitted.
6. Profanity is prohibited at all times, in all forms.
7. Students must refrain from sitting in the driver's seat, tampering with bus controls and equipment (including unauthorized opening or closing of bus doors), tampering with emergency exits, and committing any act that might endanger other people.
8. The bus will not stop at any point other than scheduled stops to load or discharge students. If a student misses the bus at their assigned stop, they may meet it at the next scheduled stop.
9. Students will be discharged from the bus only at their designated stop unless prior permission and arrangements have been made through the Manager of Transportation. This includes friends occasionally riding home with daily bus riders. (There is a fee.)
10. When a student is required to board from the left hand side of the street,  they may do so only when the roadway is clear and only after the driver has activated the red crossing flashers and signaled to the student(s) to cross.
11. Students are required to be on site 5 minutes prior to their published pick up time and at the proper place for boarding the bus. The responsible driver retrieving a Lower School student (grades K thru 5th) in the afternoon shall be at the drop-off point 5 minutes before the published stop time.
12. The bus is to be kept clean—a trash receptacle is provided. Throwing objects in or out of a bus window is forbidden.
13. No animals (fish, snails, birds, etc.) caged or otherwise, may be transported on the bus.
14. The seating capacity of the bus is regulated by Florida law. At no time will the driver permit more than the lawful passenger capacity.
15. In the event of an accident, all passengers must remain on site until responding authorities approve dismissal.

Click here to download Bus Safety Regulations

Carrollwood Day School establishes the bus routes each year based on the needs of our families. This year bus service is provided to the Westchase, Lutz/Odessa, and New Tampa areas.

Please contact the Transportation Office for more information.

We are pleased to be able to offer shuttle bus service between the Bearss Avenue campus and the Early Childhood Campus. Families with ECC students who will be riding this bus in the mornings and/or the return bus in the afternoon should be mindful of these procedures.

• IMPORTANT  -  If you have an ECC bus rider, the drop off/pick up side for your family will be on the East side in the Elementary Multi-purpose room.
• CDS is providing car seats on the ECC shuttle bus. These seats accommodate children between the range of 25 - 90 lbs and up to 57 inches tall.
• Please remember that we are not able to serve ECC age children in aftercare on the Bearss Avenue campus.  All ECC students must be picked up promptly at 3:00 p.m.

For morning riders:

ECC children who will be riding the bus from the Bearss Avenue campus to the ECC must be accompanied by an adult to the Elementary Multi-Purpose Room no earlier than 7:30 a.m.  (After the first few weeks of school, older siblings may escort the ECC students to the aftercare room.) The bus will depart at 7:45 a.m.  

For afternoon riders:

The return bus will arrive back at the bus loop on the East Side at the Bearss Avenue campus by 3:00 p.m. The ECC bus riders will be escorted off the bus to the Elementary Multi-Purpose Room.  

If you plan on utilizing this service please download and  complete the online Transportation Agreement.  

Depending on your school bus needs, you may seek student transportation for a year or simply a morning or afternoon.

REGULAR BUS SERVICE

For students who need transportation more than two (2) days a week, complete the online Transportation Agreement form to sign up for regular school bus transportation services.  Current prices are listed on the forms.

OCCASIONAL BUS SERVICE

Students using the bus less than three (3) times a week qualify for our Occasional-Use Ridership.  Each ride is $30, with the cost being billed to the student’s account. Parents must complete the online Transportation Agreement to schedule occasional bus service.

An occasional rider might be: a student attending a party, play date or group project, needing a one-way ride to visit Grandma after school, studying with a tutor twice a week, using an afternoon ride when only contracted for morning rides.

In the event of a one-time emergency, a $20* charge for this will be charged to the student’s account and will appear on the School’s next billing cycle.

* $30 for non-subscribers.

2023 - 2024 Monthly Transportation Fees