Overview
The Transportation Department is available to provide student transportation to school-related activities such as athletic playoffs. For longer trips, occasionally schools will look to hire larger (and more comfortable) buses to move school teams and bands to and from these events. While each school system strives to provide school buses and drivers for athletic, band, and field trips, there may be times when this is not possible and the school looks to use a charter bus company. It is essential that DeKalb County School District knows that the company they are contracting with for charter bus transportation is properly licensed, has proper insurance, is reputable, and meets all requirements when it comes to the safe transportation of students.
Ensuring that a school receives safe and dependable motor coach services is a three-step process:
- Create a list of approved commercial carriers.
- Make informed contracting decisions for licensed carriers (approved through the Georgia Public Service Commission).
- Conduct on-site monitoring of the actual service the company provides.
Additionally, you should be cautious that you may contract with a reputable company and they may then subcontract with another less reputable company to do the work. You can prevent this by proper wording in the contract agreement.
Should a school wish to transport students on a non–DeKalb County School District bus, they must use one of the approved commercial carriers. This list consists of those carriers who meet the minimum criteria in order to be hired by schools for trips when DeKalb County School District transportation is not.
Note: This does not constitute an endorsement of these carriers by the Board of Education nor the DeKalb County School District
Approved Commercial Carriers
Based on the information we have been provided, [Senate Bill] 392 has passed and only needs the governor’s signature. This bill makes it illegal for a school system to contract with a carrier that is not certified by the Public Service Commission and/or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The carrier is to also provide a certificate of insurance and the effective date, etc. If signed, the legislation takes effect July 1, 2010. Now is the time to begin work within your system to ensure that procedures are in place to implement this law.
Company | Phone Number |
---|---|
Allstate Tours | 404.766.9754 |
American Coach Lines | 770.449.1806 |
Coast to Coast | 678.705.3965 |
Friendship Tours | 404.286.8856 |
Harmon Brothers Charter Service, Inc. | 770.969.0180 |
Kelly Tours Inc. | 478.845.2990 |
LLC dba Elite Tours of Atlanta | 404.766.9754 |
R&W Motorcoach Inc. | 770.413.9676 |
Samson Tours Inc. | 404.768.8687 |
Southeastern Stages Inc. | 404.591.2750 |
A school may not purchase, lease or rent a fifteen passenger van or limousine if it will be used significantly by, or on the behalf of, the school or school system to transport pre-primary, primary, or secondary school students to or from school or an event related to the school, unless the fifteen passenger van or limousine complies with the federal motor vehicle standards prescribed for school buses and multi-function school activity buses as stated below.
DeKalb County Schools believes that it is appropriate to require higher levels of safety in vehicles that transport students to and from school and all school-related activities. The Georgia Department of Education states that school students should be transported in school buses, which provide them with the highest levels of safety, not in vans, which do not meet the stringent school bus safety standards issued by the federal government. The Georgia Department of Education states: