Bus Registration

School District 197 offers a fee-based transportation option to all students in grades K-12 who are attending public or private school and live within district walk boundaries. Students may still walk to school; however, they also have a choice to ride a bus for the full school year or seasonally (November 15-April 15) for a fee.

• Full Year: $235 per year/per student
• Seasonal: $117 per year/per student
• Family Cap: $470

Families receiving free or reduced-price meals can request this service and receive a 50% fee waiver ($117 per year per student or $58 per student seasonal, family cap of $235).

The Fee for Transportation Service is an option for students in: 

• Grades K-4 who live .75 mile or less from school
• Grades 5-8 who live 1 mile or less from school
• Grades 9-12 who live 2 miles or less from school

Forms and payment must be received by August 1. Students will be placed on a bus on a space available basis. Families will receive a full refund if their child is not placed on a bus route. No refunds will be given if a student is suspended from riding privileges for discipline infractions, or in the event that a student is placed on a route, but service is not fully utilized.

Forms received after August 1 will be put on hold until after the first two weeks of school and space availability on buses is known. Complete one form per child.

Postcards with bus information will be mailed to homes in late August (October for seasonal riders). If you have questions about registration, please call the Transportation Office at 651-403-8320.

Complete a registration form below and return it with payment to any school main office for it to be inter-office mailed to the transportation department. If a family is paying for transportation for students attending multiple schools they only need to use one check for all their students for the total amount due. We will need all the names listed on the form. Families may also pay online by CLICKING HERE.

If your child has special needs or requires special transportation services, please call the Transportation Office at 651-403-8320 to request an emergency health information card.

Bus stop request forms must be completed and sent to the transportation department for processing. We will review bus stop change request forms after the third week of school. Please note that forms must be fully completed in order to be processed. Families will be contacted if stop changes/requests are approved.

If your bus stop change request is based on a change of address, please contact your student's school to make the address change first. 

Please complete this form only after reviewing Frequently Asked Questions on https://www.isd197.org/district/departments/transportation. If you feel you have a request that is not answered in the this section, you may submit your request in writing to: 

School District 197 Transportation Department
1145 Medallion Drive
Mendota Heights, MN 55120

When making your request, please keep in mind:

• Bus Stop & Routing Criteria applies to all riders.

• Buses will not travel into cul-de-sacs, private roads (i.e. apartment complexes and home associations), dead-end streets, or other areas where they cannot safely maneuver. An exception to this may be a bus that is transporting students with disabilities. All students, regardless of age or grade who reside in these areas will need to walk to the assigned bus stop regardless of distance.

• Availability of sidewalks is not part of the criteria used in establishing bus stops. 

• Buses drive by many students’ homes every day. The bus driving by doesn’t warrant adding/changing a bus stop.

• Visibility from the home to the bus stop is not part of our criteria for establishing bus stops. Bus stops are collection points in neighborhoods. If a parent/guardian is concerned about watching their child at the stop they will need to walk with them and supervise them at the bus stop. We strongly encourage parents/guardians to arrange for an adult to be at the bus stop whenever students are present.

• In order to be consistent and fair in placement of bus stops, we cannot establish stops based on personal circumstances such as employment, day care, or siblings.

• Bus drivers do not have the legal authority to make bus stop changes; doing so may result in disciplinary action up to termination. A temporary exception may be made by the driver due to inclement weather or other temporary circumstances. In each case the transportation department must be notified in advance by the driver.

No stop changes will be made or reviewed until after the first three weeks of school.

If your child needs transportation to or from any location other than your home, you must fill out the daycare portion of the Transportation Registration Form. We cannot transport your child anywhere other than his or her legal residence without the completed daycare information, which gives us your written permission to do so.