Ross Valley Yellow Bus News for the 2023/24 School Year

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Yellow Bus News for the Week of November 13

Hidden Valley Conference Week Schedule:

Between November 13 through November 17, the Hidden Valley afternoon route (HV-PM) will be adjusted for Conference Week. The route is scheduled to depart the school at 11:50 AM with all stop times adjusted to an earlier time. Please see below for the estimated drop-off times:

 

HV-PM

 

START

Hidden Valley

11:50 AM

1

Butterfield Rd & Rosement Ave (West)

11:53 AM

2

Butterfield Rd & Rutherford Ave (West)

11:55 AM

3

Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Sunny Hills Dr

12:02 PM

4

Sir Francis Drake Blvd & San Francisco Blvd

12:04 PM

5

Downtown Fairfax (Broadway & Bolinas)

12:12 PM

END

White Hill School

12:20 PM

 

Route WH-5 AM Schedule Adjustments

Beginning on November 13, WH-5 AM will be adjusted to an earlier start time. The route will start from Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Aspen Ct at 7:30 AM and all stop times will be adjusted to an earlier pick-up time. 

 

In the morning, the yellow buses provide service to White Hill at two start times. Adjustments to WH-5 AM will help ensure that your students get to school well before the start of zero period and prevent further delays on the later first period bus service. We apologize for any inconvenience.

 

 

*UPDATED September 19, 2023*

Memorial Park Construction Project 

Dear Ross Valley Family-

We would like to inform you that Town of San Anselmo Department of Public Works will begin an improvement project at Veterans Place and Memorial Park on September 25th, 2023. Due to the nature of the project and the narrow roadways in the surrounding neighborhood, our yellow buses will not be able to safely access or service students in or near the Memorial Park parking lot.

Beginning on September 25th, we must ask all Memorial Park families to utilize the public transit bus stops at Sir Francis Drake Blvd & Sunny Hills Dr or Sir Francis Drake Blvd & San Francisco Blvd for yellow bus service to and from the school. This detour is anticipated to remain in effect for the duration of the fall semester or until we receive notification of the project's completion.

See below for the approximate locations of the two designated bus stops.

 

 

Should you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our staff can be reached by email at school@marintransit.org, or by phone at (415)419-2533.

To view the updated route schedules, please click here.

 

Sincerely,

School Transportation Team

[p] (415) 419-2533 // www.rossvalleyschoolbus.com

 

Contents:

 

New Yellow Bus Contractor

Ross Valley Families-

We're excited to announce that Bauer's Intelligent Transportation, Inc. has been awarded the Ross Valley yellow bus contract and will be the new transportation provider beginning next school year. We want to thank Michael's Transportation and their bus operators for their partnership in the program's first iteration, and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Bauer's IT, Inc. is a San Francisco-based transportation company with over thirty years of experience in the industry. They currently partner with other Marin County schools in operating a yellow bus service. In addition to their extensive experience, Bauer's IT, Inc. will be bringing some exciting new innovations to the program. They will be partnering with a third-party software, Ridepal, to provide families with a mobile application that will allow them to receive important notifications, such as delays or cancellations, and track the bus's location in real-time.

We will be reaching out to passholder families before the start of the next school year with instructions for downloading, registering, and using the Ridepal mobile application. Ridepal staff will also be available for a virtual webinar to assist families in this new process, with the date to be determined. We're confident that these new technologies will enhance the safety and convenience of the yellow bus program, and we look forward to working with Bauer's IT, Inc. in the upcoming school year.

Click here for more information about Bauer's Intelligent Transportation

2023/24 Pass Price

School transportation operational costs are increasing industry wide. However, we are pleased to confirm that the Ross Valley yellow bus program will continue to receive funding from the County of Marin, the Town of Fairfax, and the Town of San Anselmo, as well as an increase of approximately $89,000 in Measure AA funding distributed through Marin Transit. These contributions are estimated to cover sixty percent of the total program costs. To cover the remaining forty percent and keep the program financially sustainable, the program will be contracting four buses with Bauer’s IT, Inc., instead of the current five. Additionally, the price of regularly priced one-way passes will increase to $575 each – income-qualified passes will remain at a discount, priced at $75 each (see below for more details).

To ensure a fair distribution of White Hill bus passes, we will continue with our lottery process for the upcoming year. Any passes remaining after the lottery is complete will be available for purchase on the program website. See below for more information.

Hidden Valley Elementary and Ross Valley Charter bus passes will be available for purchase toward the end of May. Please note that Hidden Valley and Ross Valley Charter passes are not part of the lottery and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. We will communicate the exact date of availability to the school and families as soon as it has been determined.

Thank you for your continued support of the Ross Valley yellow bus program.

 

Income Qualified Reduced-Price Passes

Our goal is to ensure that the Ross Valley yellow bus program is accessible to all families, regardless of their financial situation – and to meet that goal, we are pleased to offer reduced-price passes for $75 each to income-qualified families. If you believe you may be eligible for this discount, we encourage you to complete the 2023/24 reduced-pass application and submit it to the Ross Valley School District Office. If you have any questions, please contact Jenni Wright at (415)451-4074, or by email at jwright@rossvalleyschools.org. We recommend that you complete this application as soon as possible.

Please note that all families who believe they may qualify for this discount need to apply each school year, regardless of whether they received a discount in the past. This process will help us to better allocate resources and ensure that the program is accessible to those who need it most.

Links to the 2023/24 reduced-pass application can be accessed here. We appreciate your participation in the Ross Valley yellow bus program and look forward to another successful year of safe and reliable transportation for our students.

 

2023/24 Route Adjustments

In 2023/24, the Ross Valley yellow bus program will contract for four buses to serve families at White Hill, Hidden Valley, and Ross Valley Charter. This year, due in part to a change in bell schedules, all bus route schedules have been adjusted. The 2023/24 bus route schedules can be accessed here.

Bus route schedules are subject to change. In the morning, please be at the stop 5 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

If you need help locating the nearest bus stop or selecting a bus route, please refer to the system-wide bus stop and route locator map on the bus schedules page. For further assistance, please email school@marintransit.org, or call (415) 419-2533.

 

White Hill Lottery and Pass Sales

WHITE HILL: To ensure fairness in distributing White Hill bus passes, we will continue with our lottery process for the upcoming year. Any passes remaining after the lottery is complete will be available for purchase on our program website. The lottery is expected to conclude by mid-June.

If you are interested in obtaining a White Hill bus pass, we encourage you to register for the lottery by completing the registration form. Please note that lottery placement is randomly assigned and not on a first-come, first-served basis. The lottery registration period will open at 9:00 AM on May 15 and continue through May 21. Families can register at any time during this period.

Once you have completed the registration form, you will receive a confirmation email that includes a randomly assigned 2-letter code indicating your placement in the route selection process. We will award routes based on your lottery placement and your preferred routes on the registration form. Route assignments will begin to be awarded by the end of May. To see where your placement falls in terms of priority, you can find the value of your 2-letter code on the Lottery Priority List. 

Families who are awarded a route will receive an email with a link to purchase their pass, and they will have two business days to complete the purchase. Unpurchased passes will be offered to the next person on the priority list. If you are not awarded your preferred route, you will receive a notification with options for purchasing a different route by June 9.

For more information relating to the lottery process, please refer to the program lottery page. For further assistance please email school@marintransit.org, or call (415) 419-2533.

Hidden Valley Elementary and Ross Valley Charter bus passes will be available for purchase toward the end of May. Please note that Hidden Valley passes are not part of the lottery and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. We will communicate the exact date of availability to the school and families as soon as it has been determined.

 

Thank you for your continued support of the Ross Valley yellow bus program! We are excited to bring so many changes to our community and look forward to a safe and successful school year.