Transportation

School bus
 

Busing information for general education students is now available in Skyward. For new students to the district it takes 7-10 days to appear in your skyward file, however you can find your bus using the School & Bus Finder link. Special Education students will receive a phone call from their child’s bus driver prior to school start, informing them of busing information for the year. 

*For Kindergarten, select "KD" from grade dropdown. This tool is only used for general education students. If you have a special education services or a preschool student, you will receive your bus information from the Transportation Department directly.

 

Periodic interruptions in our transportation services

Lake Washington School District continues to experience periodic interruptions in our transportation services due to driver availability. As a result, we may be unable to cover all our routes and/or some buses will be running late. The Transportation Department will communicate with families of students whose routes will be affected each day. Depending on the type of notice you receive you may need to drop off or pick up your child from school. We understand that this may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely apologize for any disruption this may cause to your daily routines.

Use the My Stop App to see when your child's bus will arrive.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a bus driver or substitute bus driver, please click on the box below.

Learn about becoming a bus driver in LWSD

The district provides transportation only to those students living outside a one-mile radius, unless the district has reviewed walk routes and determined no safe walk routes are available. Within that boundary, our practice allows for elementary students to walk up to one and a half miles to school and middle and high school students to walk up to two miles. Students with walk distances that exceed these limits are eligible for bus service. These guidelines are used to establish all walk boundaries for the Lake Washington School District.

Riding the Bus

Bus route information is available in your family’s Skyward Family Access account.

Parents will be contacted by the driver with route information for special needs students and preschoolers.

Bus routes may change slightly as the year goes on. Please use the School & Bus Finder on this page for current route information.

We also recommend all students and parents download the bus tracking app that will help give you a live time estimate of when your bus will  arrive each day. You can get the app by going to the Apple Store or Google Play and downloading the Versatrans My Stop App on your mobile device. In order to login to the App you will need to have your Skyward Student ID which can be found by logging into the Skyward mobile app or accessing Skyward on your computer. More information is available on the My Stop App page.

Additional bus schedules

If you are looking for Pull-out Quest or Choice School schedules, please check Skyward.

Transportation during emergencies

Parents always have the option to keep their student home if they believe it is unsafe.

Each winter, Lake Washington School District’s Transportation Department creates "Snow Routes" or routes that are designed to get our students to and from school in the safest manner due to inclement weather. These routes may require your student(s) to change bus stops due to road conditions in your neighborhood.

Families will be contacted via ParentSquare when these routes are placed into effect.  Please make sure to use the snow route bus stop when "Snow Routes" are activated. 

To find your snow route bus stop location:

  • Login to Skyward Family Access.
  • Select “Busing” on the left-side menu. Snow routes will be labeled with “Snow” under the “Days” column.

Please note: It is possible that your “Snow Route” bus stops are the same as your regular stops.

Earthquake
In case of a major earthquake while students are on a school bus, drivers will receive specific instructions via radio. If they are going to school, drivers will continue to pick up students on their routes and deliver them to school. If roads limit travel, students will be transported to the nearest school. If an earthquake hits when buses are transporting children home from school, drivers will return to the school they came from or to the closest school. Children will stay at school until parents or designees arrive. Call your school for more information about its earthquake plan.

Transportation Health and Safety Protocols

Wellness screening
Parents should evaluate students for symptoms of illness PRIOR to sending them to the bus stop. If their student is sick, the parent would need to keep them home from school.

What are the expectations for students on the bus?

  • All windows at the front and rear of the bus and all roof hatches will be open to maintain proper ventilation and to create a circulation of air flow – students should dress appropriately for the bus ride.
  • Eating and drinking on the bus is not permissible.
  • Students should maintain physical distance when entering and leaving the bus.

Ill student onboard

  • If a student appears to be ill while onboard the student will be assigned to a specified row.
  • Driver will call dispatch to notify the school.
  • The student will be sent to the health room upon arrival.

(updated 8/22/22)
 

 

Contact Us

Jon Kollman
Interim Director of Transportation Services

Bus stop questions
If you have a question about a bus stop, contact the Transportation Department at 425-936-1120 or busroutes@lwsd.org.

Calls and emails are prioritized and responded to as soon as possible. Please note that the Transportation Department receives a high volume of calls and emails at the beginning of the school year. We appreciate your patience as we respond as quickly as possible.