Policy No. 5290 Bus Drivers

1. Bus drivers will no longer be required to arrange for their own substitute drivers.
   1. Instead, they will contact the Transportation Office designee who will be assigned to arrange for substitutes. 
   2. Contact must be made at least two days in advance of absence, except for illness. 
2. Individual groups at schools who have scheduled overnight trips will plan in advance and arrange for room accommodations for the bus drivers taking the trips. 
3. Regular drivers have a minimum time of one hour each morning and each afternoon, as do the kindergarten and mid-day vocational drivers. 
4. The two basic rates of pay for drivers are; (1) regular run rates; and (2) extra driving rates. The rate of pay for both are negotiated each spring. 
   1. The regular run rate applies to the following: Regular a.m. - p.m. runs, kindergarten, vocational, and summer runs. 
   2. The extra driving rate applies to all extra runs, spare driving, and night activity runs. Payment for extra runs is as follows: 
      1. Drivers who take extra runs during times of their regular a.m. - p.m. runs only must submit hours above their regular run hours for payment. No deduction is made from their regular contract. 
      2. Drivers who take trips that are completed in one day, or without staying overnight, are paid from the requested show-up time until they get back to the school. They are also allowed one-half hour for pre-trip clean up and reporting for out-of-valley trips; or fifteen minutes for clean-up and reporting for in-valley trips.
      3. If a driver takes an overnight trip, payment is made as stated above for the first day and to a maximum of eight hours per day for layover days. Return days are paid at actual time. As drivers submit their claims for extra driving, they need to list actual hours driven each day. 

V. Meals are paid as explained on the back of the Authorized Travel Claim form.

A.To be eligible for meal reimbursement, one must depart and return in different quarters of the day as explained, 1. i.e., one cannot depart at 7:00 a.m. and claim breakfast. Meal rates are the same as those set by the state. 

B. Motels are paid for actual expenses, but drivers are expected to be reasonable. 

VI.Extra runs are dispatched from the Transportation Office. 

1. The priority run for the District is the regular to and from school run.
2. If the run does not conflict with regular runs, then a regular driver is used based on a seniority rotation. If the extra run conflicts with the daily to and from routes and is within the valley, then a spare driver will be used.
3. If the extra run is out of the valley then a spare driver will only be used if they; 
   1. have a minimum of 500 hours experience as a school bus driver for Cache County School District; 
   2. have a good performance record; and 
   3. have taken the out-of-valley in service training from the District. "Out-of-valley' is defined as outside the confines of the boundary lines constituted by Cache County, Utah and Franklin County, Idaho. If no spare driver is qualified to take the out-of-valley run, then a qualified regular driver will take the run whose regular run will be affected least, based on seniority. The Transportation Department will notify all District schools each year of the time blocks buses are involved in regular to and from routes and ask them to avoid these times, where possible, so that regular drivers can be used on extra runs as a first choice. It shall be the policy of the District to make reasonable efforts to assign extra run drivers priority in allocating additional extra run driving hours over substitute drivers. 

VII. A driver’s time is based on an average day’s run, beginning when a driver leaves his/her yard or bus compound until the return at the completion of their run.

1. This procedure is followed by both a.m. and p.m. runs. Thirty minutes is allowed each day for refueling, pre-trip inspections, cleaning the bus inside and out, daily reporting, etc. 
2. If a driver does not agree with the allotment time, the driver trainer will accompany the driver on the routes and, in conjunction with the Transportation Supervisor, will determine a fair time. 
3. Drivers that have layover time beyond 15 minutes per day will negotiate individually the amount of time allowed daily to perform miscellaneous functions and should not expect the full half hour per day. 

VIII. There are times when drivers are required to put in extra time, i.e., severe snowstorms, breakdowns, etc. Whenever a driver feels extra pay is justified, they must submit a claim stating the time involved and the reason for it. 

IX. The District purchases new buses each year. The company that we currently purchase them from will either deliver the buses to us or let the District select their own personnel to drive them back to Utah and give the equivalent cost allotment to our drivers, which the District may opt to do. 

1. Drivers must contact the Transportation Supervisor if they are interested in making the trip to pick up a bus after notice is given regarding purchased buses. Selections are based on seniority and time since the person last picked up a bus.
2. Buses must be picked up prior to July 15th, and must be delivered in the District by August 20th. Drivers must share their proposed route with the Transportation Supervisor prior to leaving on the trip. The amount of miles put on the bus on its route should not total more than 2500. 

X. Drivers are notified by memo in the spring as to the routes that will be available for the summer. 

1. This memo includes the various programs that are scheduled throughout the District, the dates each program is in operation, and whether a new driver is needed.
2. Once drivers have been assigned to a summer run, they may stay with the run in future years if they desire, as long as their performance is satisfactory. 
3. When a summer route is a continuation of the regular school year, the driver will remain with the route during the summer. 

XI. If vacancies exist in any of the programs, notification is made in a memo and applications are accepted. 

1. Driver selection is based on seniority, relationship to the regular school year run, and route location. 
2. Other considerations include job performance during the regular school year and input from the administrator directing the program. 

Legal References: 

Section IV-Classified Personnel Policy 

Synopsis 

Approved by the Board of Education: June 1, 1995. Last Revised: June 7, 2012. Prior Revised Dates: 6/1/2005.

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