Student Transportation for Families: a Daily Ride for Your Child
A daily ride to school and back, booked by you, not by the district. Bay State Transportation (BST) runs it on the school calendar. Your quote, your agreement, and your schedule go through one person at BST.
Who This Is For
Parents whose child goes to a charter school or a school in another town, or who need only the ride home after dismissal. Mornings, afternoons, or both. The addresses are yours to set: home, a relative's house, an after-school program.
The ride is arranged directly between you and BST, across the North Shore. No district paperwork and no program to qualify for. You pay for the rides your child takes.
How the Ride Works
You tell us the addresses, the school, the days, and whether the van is needed mornings, afternoons, or both. We build the route and set the pickup time with you, and your child arrives at school on time.
We work from your school's calendar. Early-release days, half days, and closures are part of the schedule from the start.
Getting Started
- Send the details. Use the quote form or call (617) 331-1222. Put the items from the list below in the message box.
- We reply with a written quote: a price per ride, the days, the times, and how long the quote holds.
- Sign the agreement and enrollment form. A short agreement between you and BST, plus a one-page form about your child: school, pickup address, who is allowed to meet them, emergency contacts. At our office or online.
- Pickup time confirmed with you before the first ride.
What We Need to Quote Your Route
Send these in the first message and we reply with a quote as soon as we can:
- Pickup address and the school name, with town
- Your child's age and grade
- Days of the week
- Morning to school, afternoon home, or both
- The school's start time and dismissal time
- Start date, and the last day if you know it
Every one of these changes the route or the price, so we ask before we quote, not after.
Safety
Your child is released only to an adult on the list you gave us. Older students can be let out at the door on their own if you choose that option on the enrollment form. If your child still needs a booster seat under Massachusetts law, we provide it. Student rides are part of BST's school transportation.
Billing and Changes
The price is per ride and is written in your agreement. You choose how often we invoice: every two weeks or once a month. The invoice lists the rides taken in that period, and you pay it by the link in the email. Nothing is charged automatically. Days the school is closed are not billed.
To skip a ride, email us the evening before. A ride cancelled that way is not billed. A ride cancelled later, or one where nobody is at pickup, is billed.
To change the regular days or times, email us and we confirm the change in writing. Until then, the schedule in the agreement stands.
FAQ
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Will my child ride with other children?
Sometimes. If another student on our routes is going the same way at the same time, they may share the van. You are told before that happens.
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Who meets my child at home in the afternoon?
An adult from the list you give us on the enrollment form, and only from that list. Older students can be released on their own if you choose that on the form.
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What about early-release days and school closures?
They are in the schedule from the start. We take them from your school's published calendar, and the afternoon pickup moves to the early dismissal time on those days. Days the school is closed are not billed.
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What if we need to skip a day?
Email us the evening before and the ride is not billed. Cancelled later, or nobody at pickup, and the ride is billed.
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Do you provide a booster seat?
Yes, when your child still needs one under Massachusetts law. We provide it.
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What ages do you drive?
School-age students, from elementary through high school: any child who rides with a seat belt or in a booster seat.
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Can the ride cross into another town?
Yes. Send both addresses and we quote the route.
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How much does it cost?
It depends on the distance, the days, and one-way or round trip. You get a written price per ride and a weekly total before you commit. Send the details from the list above and we reply with a quote.
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Do I have to sign a contract?
Yes, a short one. It states the days, the times, the price per ride, and how cancellations work, so nothing is left to memory. At our office or online.
Get a written quote.
Send the addresses, the school, the days, and your child's age. We reply with a written quote.