Dear Families,

The district has updated current hazardous roadways in accordance with TEA recommendations, which was approved by the Plano ISD Board of Trustees on March 25.  As a result the number of approved hazardous routes in Plano ISD has been reduced for the 2025-2026 school year. It is important that you check eligibility of transportation for your student using the link below.  If you are not eligible for bus transportation for the 2025-2026 school year, it is recommended that you start planning now to avoid last-minute difficulties.

You can check your student’s eligibility for transportation at www.pisd.edu/busridercheck. 

Students are eligible for regular bus transportation if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Legally reside two or more miles from their assigned campus of regular attendance as measured along the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads.
• Legally reside in a designated hazardous area within two miles of his or her assigned campus of regular attendance. (Please see Plano ISD Hazardous Roadway Guidelines below.)
• Identified as a homeless child or youth as entitled by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act.

Students who do not meet any of the three eligibility requirements above are not eligible for transportation. Additionally, students who have been approved for transfer from their home campus are not eligible for transportation services. 

Special Education and Academy Programs of Plano

• All students receiving special education services who are approved for transportation through the ARD process will continue to receive bus service.
• Transportation services currently available for the Academy Programs of Plano will remain available as part of those specific academic programs. 

Hazardous Roadway Transportation Guidelines

Plano ISD Transportation follows TEA-recommended and board-approved guidelines, Policy CNA(Legal) and Policy CNA(Local) to determine hazardous roadways. Students who live within two miles of a campus and reside in a designated hazardous area or roadway are eligible for hazardous bus transportation. 

Hazardous roadways in Plano ISD are defined as follows:

• Four- or six-lane roadway with a speed limit over 45 mph
• Four- or six-lane roadway that does not have pedestrian-activated traffic signals
• U.S. 75 Central Expressway
• Dallas North Tollway
• President George Bush Turnpike
• S.H. 289 / Preston Road
• Active railroad track
• Areas that do not have sidewalks or safe paths (a safe path does not have to be a sidewalk)

This adjustment does not impact regular bus transportation for students who live two or more miles from their home campus: 

Visit the website at www.pisd.edu/transportationplan to see specific changes affecting your school’s available transportation, including maps, route descriptions and FAQs. 

For additional information or questions not addressed in the FAQ, please contact us through Let’s Talk or call 469-754-8397. 

Sincerely,

Mark Skinner
Director of Transportation Services

Dear Fare Busing Families,

We want to continue to inform you of significant changes to our Fare Busing Program for the 2025-2026 school year.  

Changes to Fare Busing 2025-2026

In response to financial challenges, we are restructuring the Fare Busing Program to a more cost-effective model for the upcoming school year, in alignment with the program’s original intent.

Fare Busing will only be available to students residing within two miles of their designated campus on a limited basis, subject to the following conditions:

• It is contingent upon available seating on existing eligible regular bus routes. 
• Once these buses reach capacity, no additional routes will be established for Fare Busing.

Due to the very limited number of available seats, it is recommended that families make arrangements for transportation for the 2025-2026 school year to ensure your student arrives on time to school. We hope that providing you this information in March and again in May will give you the opportunity to plan accordingly for the 2025-2026 school year.

Application Process for Fare Busing

Applications for Fare Busing do not carry forward from one school year to the next. You must reapply each year for each student as follows:

• Parents may submit a Fare Busing application to Plano ISD Transportation. The application will open in September 2025.
• Fare busing services will be evaluated starting October 1, 2025 as the district must first offer transportation to all current eligible students.
• Once the district has established ridership, Fare Busing may be provided on a first come first serve basis.
• Once a route is full, Fare Busing will not be provided for that route. 
• No additional Fare Busing routes will be added.
• If you are selected for Fare Busing services, you will receive an approval notification. If you have additional questions, please contact us through Let’s Talk or call 469-754-8397.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to maintain sustainable and effective transportation services.

Sincerely,

Mark Skinner
Director of Transportation Services

Dear Families,

Plano ISD would like to inform our families with eligible bus riders of an important update to our Hazardous Roadways Transportation Guidelines that will take effect for the 2025-2026 school year. (See guidelines below.) 

The district has updated current hazardous roadways in accordance with TEA recommendations and approved by the Plano ISD Board of Trustees on March 25. This update addresses findings from our 2023 transportation audit conducted by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO). 

Over the past several years, the cities that service the roads in Plano ISD have added significant infrastructure to increase pedestrian safety. As such, the number of hazardous routes required has been reduced as they no longer meet guidelines. 

This adjustment does not impact regular bus transportation for students who live two or more miles from their home campus: 

• Regular bus transportation will continue to be provided to eligible riders who  live two or more miles from their home campus as established by the district’s 2025-2026 attendance boundaries and transportation guidelines. 
• All students receiving special education services who are approved for transportation through the ARD process will continue to receive bus service.

Students are eligible for regular bus transportation if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Legally reside two or more miles from their assigned campus of regular attendance as measured along the shortest route that may be traveled on public roads.
• Legally reside in a designated hazardous area within two miles of his or her assigned campus of regular attendance (Please see Plano ISD Hazardous Roadway Guidelines below).
• Identified as a homeless child or youth as entitled by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Improvement Act.

Students that do not meet any of the three eligibility requirements above are not eligible for transportation. Additionally, students that have been approved for transfer from their home campus are not eligible for transportation services.

Hazardous Roadway Transportation Guidelines

Plano ISD Transportation follows TEA-recommended and board-approved guidelines, Policy CNA(Legal) and Policy CNA(Local) to determine hazardous roadways. Students who live within two miles of a campus and reside in a designated hazardous area or roadway are eligible for hazardous bus transportation. 

Hazardous roadways in Plano ISD are defined as follows:

• Four- or six-lane roadway with a speed limit over 45 mph
• Four- or six-lane roadway that does not have pedestrian-activated traffic signals
• U.S. 75 Central Expressway
• Dallas North Tollway
• President George Bush Turnpike
• S.H. 289 / Preston Road
• Active Railroad Track
• Areas that do not have sidewalks or safe paths (a safe path does not have to be a sidewalk)

Visit the website to see specific changes affecting your school’s available transportation, including maps, route descriptions and FAQs. 

Beginning April 1, you can check your student’s eligibility for transportation at bus rider check webpage.  

For additional information or questions not addressed in the FAQ, please contact us through Let’s Talk. 

Sincerely,

Mark Skinner
Director of Transportation Services

March 26, 2025

Dear Fare Busing Families,

We want to inform you of important updates to our Fare Busing Guidelines for the 2025-2026 school year. These changes are part of our broader efforts to align with the Plano ISD Long Range Facility Plan and address financial shortfalls and long-term sustainability in our transportation services.

Background on Fare Busing

Historically, Plano ISD has offered Fare Busing to students living within two miles of their assigned campus when resources allowed. Over time, this has resulted in the addition of 13 routes to meet demand. However, an audit conducted by the Texas Association of School Business Officials (TASBO) in 2023 revealed that each of these additional bus routes costs the district approximately $80,000 annually. This is a total additional cost of $1.04 million annually to provide these routes. Unfortunately, the fees collected only cover about $400,000 (or 38.5% of the annual cost). 

Financial Context

Plano ISD’s transportation budget is $20.6 million, with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) only providing a Transportation Allotment of about $2.5 million for eligible ridership. This leaves a significant budget shortfall of approximately $18.1 million. Compounded by a growing labor shortage in licensed bus drivers and rising inflation, our transportation costs are increasing rapidly.

Changes to Fare Busing

In response to these financial challenges, we are restructuring the Fare Busing Program to a more cost-effective model for the upcoming school year, which is in line with the original intent of the program.

While Fare Busing will continue to be available to students residing within two miles of their designated campus, subject to the following condition:

• It is contingent upon available seating on existing eligible regular bus routes. 
• Once these buses reach capacity, no additional routes will be established for Fare Busing.

If you have additional questions, please contact us through Let’s Talk.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to maintain sustainable and effective transportation services.

Sincerely,

Mark Skinner
Director of Transportation Services