2023-24 Bus
Information
Student Transportation Handbook for Students and Parents
High School Bus Stop List SY2023-24
Middle School Bus Stop List SY2023-24
Hosmer School Bus Stop List SY2023-24
Lowell School Bus Stop List SY2023-24
Lowell West
We are pleased to offer a unique 5-week transportation service for
students in grades 3-5, providing a secure and reliable route to Lowell
West. This is a serious opportunity, and spots are limited. Secure your
place on the waitlist by registering below:
Lowell Bus Registration - Closed. At capacity.
Boys and Girls Club
2023-2024 Boys & Girls Club Bus for Elementary Students - Closed. At capacity.
HOSMER BUS REGISTRATION INFORMATION
School bus transportation
is available to the Hosmer School from shared pickup points throughout
Watertown. Regardless
of grade or distance from school, all students must register online for the bus
each year. Registrations do not roll over from year to year.
Bus ridership determination is based solely on walking
distance (as determined by the business office) to the school that the student
attends. Please note that other criteria apply: transportation is not available
to students who live less than 0.75 miles' walking distance from their school,
or to out-of-neighborhood students (email or call for details).
Fees
Grades
K-5
|
No
Fee Required
|
Fee
Due
|
$0; Fee
waived per, School Committee Policy and/or State law. Registration
is still required.
|
$300 per
child, family max $475
|
Hosmer students living 1.5 miles’ walking distance from
Hosmer, except "out of neighborhood" students
residing in another elementary school's district. (Transportation is not
available for "out of neighborhood" students)
|
Families living a walking distance of less than 1.5 miles
but more than 0.75 miles from the Hosmer.
|
For
families who want to apply, or reapply, for the school year need-based fee
waiver please use this link. The USDA Food
and Nutrition Service will update the waiver form for the school year in
mid-late July. To use the fee waiver for transportation (in addition to the
school food program) you must check off the “permission to share with the
Business Office” option. Please note that fee waivers do not affect eligibility or take priority over the distance
determination. Please contact Brandon Rabbitt, the Director of School Nutrition
at [email protected] , with any Free & Reduced lunch questions. There is no “transportation only” waiver –
the transportation waiver only applies if Free/Reduced lunch applies.
Families
whose students secure a seat will be emailed a
confirmation with instructions for payment via check or money order.
Seating Capacity
We will be reducing the capacity on the Hosmer buses to 52 seats, to
enhance safety.
Timeline
June 12
|
Registration Deadline
|
June 30
|
Confirmation
of each student’s bus registration will be emailed to the parent/guardian
email address provided on the registration form
|
July 20
|
Full
payment is due; if payment is not received by
the due date, the seat will be considered open and will be offered to the
next person on the waitlist the day after the fee due date has passed. To be fair to all we do not make any exceptions.
|
Early
August
|
Bus stop
location and pick-up/drop-off times will be emailed to the email address
provided
|
All registrations received by June 12th will
be will be processed by the WPS Business Office to determine the walking
distance. Registrations that are received after June 12th will only
be considered if space allows. Depending on the number of registrations
we receive, we may have a waitlist for seats even if the registration is
submitted by June 12th. Bus routes and scheduled pickup times will
be determined based on actual ridership.
School Bus Routes
Only students may board the bus.
Parents/caregivers are never allowed on the bus.
Bus routes and scheduled pickup times are reviewed each year and will be determined based on actual ridership. The
routes are posted on the WPS Transportation page: WPS Transportation webpage early August, all families whose student has a seat on the bus
will also be sent the route information.
Afternoon
bus routes from all 3 elementary schools do not include the Boys & Girls Club. If Watertown
Public Schools is able to offer transportation to the Boys & Girls Club a
separate online registration form will be sent to all families from their
school principal in early September.
2023-2024 Hosmer School Bus Registration - WAITLIST
MIDDLE & HIGH SCHOOL BUS REGISTRATION INFORMATION
This fall, when we open our
Watertown High School at Moxley, we will be managing pick-up and drop-off for
over 1200 students. Middle School and High School start and end times will be
staggered to help mitigate the confluence of students. We anticipate that
pick-up and drop-off times will be congested and we are encouraging all
families to consider alternative options for arriving at the site, including
walking, biking, or taking a bus. There will be no student parking in or around
the site, and the expectation is that students will not be driving to school.
During the Watertown High School
Construction, the building project plans provide for bus transportation to
middle school and high school students in grades 6-12 who live .75 miles or
more from the Middle School/Moxley site without a fee for students. Students and
families who are interested in busing will be required to sign up for busing in
the coming weeks, with the expectation that anyone who signs up for busing will
ride the bus to school every day and will carry with them their bus pass at all
times. No one will be allowed to ride a Middle School/High School bus without a
pass. We understand that there will be fluctuations in the number of students
riding the bus in the afternoon due to after school activities. It is important
to note that we will adjust bus schedules and stops if it is determined that
students are not regularly riding the bus.
Regardless
of grade or distance from school, all students must register online for the bus
each year. Registrations do not roll over from year to year.
There is no fee for Middle School or High School Students who live .75
miles or more from the Middle School during the Watertown High School
Construction.
Timeline
June 12
|
Registration Deadline
|
June 30
|
Confirmation
of each student’s bus registration will be emailed to the parent/guardian
email address provided on the registration form
|
Early
August
|
Bus stop
location and pick-up/drop-off times will be emailed to the email address
provided
|
All registrations received by June 12th will
be will be processed by the WPS Business Office to determine the walking
distance. Registrations that are received after June 12th will only
be considered if space allows. Bus routes and scheduled pickup times will
be determined based on actual ridership.
School Bus Routes
Only students may board the bus.
Parents/Caregivers are never allowed on the bus.
Bus routes and scheduled pickup times are reviewed each year and will be determined based on actual ridership. The
routes are posted on the WPS Transportation page: WPS Transportation webpage early August, all families whose child(ren) has a seat on the bus
will also be sent the route information.
Additionally, afternoon Late Bus service will be provided to
Middle School students who are registered for the regular Transportation
Program. The late bus will stop at the bus stops of the students who ride the
bus on a given day. This service does not start the first day of school; the
Middle School principal includes the start date for this in the weekly
newsletters.
2023-2024 Middle School Bus Registration - WAITLIST
2023-2024 High School Bus Registration - WAITLIST
MBTA for Students
Middle
School and High School students may sign up for reduced-fare Student
CharlieCards, valid on MBTA buses and subway. There are two types of Student
CharlieCards available:
- Unlimited
Pass: This pass offers students unlimited access to the MBTA bus and
subway system at a cost of $30 per month. This pass must be paid in two
installments: $150 for September through January, then $150 for February
through June. Contact the WPS Transportation Office for information on use
of this pass during the summer months. If payments are not made when due
the card is shut off by the MBTA.
- Pay-As-You-Go
Card: This card works like a prepaid charge
card balance. Students can load money onto their passes at any
MBTA kiosk. Funds are then deducted from the balance at a discounted
student rate of 85¢ per bus ride and $1.10 per subway ride. There is
no charge for students to obtain a pay-as-you-go card, but it will come
loaded with $0 prepaid, so students are responsible for loading money onto
their pay-as-you-go cards.
*The MBTA may change their fees at any time – WPS fees will
change accordingly
Pay-As-You-Go
Cards are available for pickup at both the Middle School and High School main
offices. If you would like to purchase
the Unlimited Pass please email: [email protected]
Contact
If you have additional questions, please contact us at [email protected].