Bellingham, MA Public Schools Transportation

03/09/2026

Dear Bellingham Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming transportation registration period, we would like to share an important update regarding bus transportation for the 2026–2027 school year.

Beginning April 1st, families will be able to register for school bus transportation for the upcoming school year. The district will again offer Early Bird pricing from April 1st through May 15th, and we strongly encourage families who plan to utilize bus transportation to register during this window.

We recognize that transportation plays an important role in many families’ daily routines, and we understand that updates to transportation procedures can have meaningful implications as families plan for the year ahead. After careful discussion and review, these updates were voted on and approved by the Bellingham School Committee at the February 10th School Committee meeting.

Within the attached transportation policy, you will see two highlighted updates that families should review carefully.

The first clarification relates to bus stop assignments. Students will have one designated bus stop, and the location where a student is picked up in the morning must be the same location where they are dropped off in the afternoon. This clarification helps strengthen the safety, accountability, and consistency of our transportation system while allowing bus routes to operate efficiently for all students.

We fully recognize that this update may be especially difficult for families who share custody or rely on multiple caregiving arrangements during the week. Please know that this decision was not made lightly. The School Committee carefully considered the operational and safety factors involved before approving this policy. In order to ensure consistency and maintain a safe and accountable transportation system for all students, the policy must be applied uniformly across the district.

The second clarification reinforces that transportation eligibility is determined by the distance between a student’s residence and the school. While students may live near one another or ride the same bus, eligibility for free transportation must be determined using the established distance guidelines and applied consistently across the district.

We understand that changes such as these may require adjustments for some families, and we sincerely appreciate your understanding and partnership as we work to maintain a transportation system that prioritizes student safety, fairness, and operational efficiency. By sharing this information now, we hope families have ample time to review the attached policy and make any necessary arrangements for the upcoming school year.

For additional information, registration instructions, and transportation resources, families may visit the district transportation webpage:

https://www.bellinghamk12.org/en-US/2025-2026-bus-transportation-information-88b596fd/bus-transportation-info-a960524f?gridType=terraced

I would also like to extend a sincere thank you to Mrs. Surrette for the tremendous work she has done organizing the transportation information on the district website and helping make the process as user-friendly as possible for our families. Her attention to detail and organizational skills have helped ensure that families can easily find the information they need throughout the registration process.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of the Bellingham Public Schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. David S. Cutler
Director of District Services
Bellingham Public Schools

02/07/2026

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01/27/2026

12/11/2025

Huge thank you to the Bellingham MA Police for today’s coordinated traffic enforcement around our school buses.

Your continued partnership helps keep our students safe every day, and we are incredibly grateful for your continued support, visibility, and commitment to protecting our kids on the way to and from school. 🚔

08/20/2025

Dear Bellingham Families,

We want to begin by sincerely thanking you for your patience and understanding as we start the 2025–2026 school year. We also want to acknowledge, with humility, the confusion and frustration that many of you have experienced around bus routes and schedules this year. We deeply regret the stress this has caused for families, and we are committed to improving communication and service moving forward.

Our transportation partner, Vendetti Motors, has recently adopted a new routing software system intended to improve efficiency, accuracy, and long-term service. However, the transition has presented significant challenges, leading to delays and inconsistencies in communicating bus stop information. While these issues are being resolved, the Bellingham Public Schools Transportation Policy ensures that bus stops remain within a reasonable walking distance of a student’s home or daycare, not to exceed 3/4 of a mile.

In past years, families received individual emails with specific bus stop information, including the bus number, time, and location. Unfortunately, with the new system now in place, that capability is not currently available. Instead, we will be posting the full bus stop lists on the district website by Friday, August 22, 2025, at www.bellinghamk12.org/transportation-54cb01af and will keep them updated regularly. We kindly ask families to check the site frequently for the most current information.

Please review the list of stops for your respective school(s) and locate the stop within the closest proximity to your home (no more than 3/4 of a mile). That stop, along with the corresponding bus number, will be your child’s assigned location for both morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off.

As a reminder, school bus routing is a complex process that takes into account many important factors, including student safety, transportation regulations and district policies, traffic patterns, ride time, program capacity, transportation contracts, and the number of registered riders.

All posted times should be viewed as estimated guidelines, typically within a 5–10-minute window. Weather, traffic, and unforeseen factors may affect timing throughout the year. Additionally, the first 7–10 days of school are always a period of adjustment, as students settle into routines and drivers become more familiar with their routes. Timing and consistency typically improve after this initial period.

We want to reassure families that Bellingham Public Schools and Vendetti Motors are working closely together every day to fine-tune routes, resolve issues, and strengthen communication.

On behalf of the district and our partners at Vendetti Motors, we would like to thank you again for your patience, flexibility, and support.

Sincerely,
Dr. David S. Cutler
Director of District Services
Bellingham Public Schools

Bellingham Public Schools – 2025-2026 Bus Transportation RegistrationBus transportation registration for the 2025–2026 school year is now open. Families can register their child(ren) using our convenient online registration form. Paper versions of the Bus Registration Form and Financial Assistan...

08/20/2025

🚍✨ Bus Stop Update! ✨🚍

We know the past few days have felt a little like playing musical chairs with bus stops, emails, and schedules. But don’t worry—by tomorrow everything will be buttoned up(ish), smoothed out(ish), and ready to roll for the very first day of school! 🎒📚

A huge THANK YOU to our very own Lisa Surrette and Janice Bibbo at Vendetti Motors for burning the midnight oil (and probably more than a little caffeine ☕️) to answer questions, calm concerns, and get everything sorted. Anyone that sent emails, we will be following uo with each of you tomorrow mid morning.

Because of their hard work, we’re on track for smooth sailing… or should we say smooth riding 🚌💨 into the new school year!