• SECTION 1-Bus Registration:

    Students are considered “registered” for a CMS bus once their information has been entered into PowerSchool at the home school level during registration.  To ensure that your child is registered for a CMS bus on the first day of school, it is extremely important to provide all of the necessary paperwork for school registration.  Typically, the cutoff date is toward the end of July in terms of registering your child on time to guarantee bus transportation the first day.  Failure to register and meet the times lines could result in waiting for up to two weeks after the school year has started to receive bus transportation.  Throughout the year, multiple methods of transportation may be needed, such as your child riding home via car.  Any/all transportation changes MUST be in writing and sent to the teacher in a timely manner.  For the first two weeks, bus arrival times may be a little inconsistent due to traffic and drivers learning their routes.  The guideline to follow is to have your student at the stop 15 minutes prior to the stated time on their boarding pass.  Based on CMS, the drivers have a window of 15 minutes before, and 15 minutes after the published time to arrive.  Once things settle down, the time should be more consistent.

    SECTION 2-Here Comes the Bus App:

    CMS families with children that ride a school bus are now able to use a free bus tracking system! Families can download the app and have access to real-time location of their child's bus on a map as well as scheduled and actual arrival times at their assigned stop and school.

    Here Comes the Bus is a school bus tracking app that can simplify morning and afternoon routines for parents and students by giving them real-time bus location and text or email notification alerts to help get them to the bus stop on time. Here Comes the Bus utilizes our GPS data and an easy to use customizable map that works on a computer, tablet or smartphone.

    Signing up is EASY! On your desktop computer, you can sign up at https://herecomesthebus.com/getting-started/.  You will need the district code (73877) and your student's ID number (contact your child's school if you don't have it) to sign up. For your smartphone or tablet, download the Here Comes the Bus app from the App Store or Google Play.

    Once activated, you can customize or edit features, including how the app will communicate with you and the size of the notification radius around your bus stop.

     Helpful Tips:

    • You must have your child's unique student identification number to set up the app.  Due to privacy guidelines, Transportation staff will NOT be able to provide this number to you! If you need your student's identification number, you must contact the school.

    • When entering your child's last name on the "Here comes the Bus'' app, make sure you spell it EXACTLY as it appears on your child's report cards, bus stop information, etc.  If you have a hyphen in the name, make sure you include it.  Only enter the first fourteen (14) characters of your child's last name.  For example, if your child's last name is GETON-THEBUSTODAY, you will enter GETON-THEBUSTO in the last name field.

    • The bus stop associated with your child for morning and afternoon bus service is the location you can draw the radius around; the app does not track after school, athletics, or any other transportation we provide.

    • Please note that no bus tracking service is 100% accurate; DO NOT assume the bus isn't coming just because the app didn't notify you! If in doubt about the arrival of a bus, please call the transportation area that supports your school.

    • Sometimes we make bus substitutions and this can affect the accuracy of the Here Comes the Bus App. When a bus substitution is made, the Here Comes the Bus app may not work.

     Need Help?

     Once you are logged into your account, the link to Here Comes the Bus support can be found by selecting Help.  Additional resources can be found there as well.

    Questions or concerns related to bus service? Email us at transportation@cms.k12.nc.us or give us a call at 980-343-6715.    

    We ask that families be at the stop 10 minutes before the scheduled stop time as stop times will vary due to traffic and other delays.  The performance of the app also varies throughout the school year.  CMS will work with the vendor to resolve all issues in a timely manner.

    If you have any further questions and concerns, please feel free to contact the Synovia "Here Comes the Bus" app hotline at 1-844-854-9316 and or contact the CMS Transportation Department at 980-343-6715.  The school does not handle or control issues associated with the Here Comes the Bus App.

    SECTION 3-General Information:

    Students are considered “registered” for a CMS bus once their information has been entered into PowerSchool at the home school level during registration.  To ensure that your child is registered for a CMS bus on the first day of school, it is extremely important to provide all of the necessary paperwork for school registration.  Typically, the cutoff date is toward the end of July in terms of registering your child on time to guarantee bus transportation the first day.  Failure to register and meet the times lines could result in waiting for up to two weeks after the school year has started to receive bus transportation.  Throughout the year, multiple methods of transportation may be needed, such as your child riding home via car.  Any/all transportation changes MUST be in writing and sent to the teacher in a timely manner.  For the first two weeks, bus arrival times may be a little inconsistent due to traffic and drivers learning their routes.  The guideline to follow is to have your student at the stop 15 minutes prior to the stated time on their boarding pass.  Based on CMS, the drivers have a window of 15 minutes before, and 15 minutes after the published time to arrive.  Once things settle down, the time should be more consistent.

    Multiple Transportation Methods:

    From time to time, you may request that your child be a bus rider on one day and possibly a car rider on another day.  In order to ensure that your child gets on the appropriate mode of transportation and arrives home safely, it is extremely important that you communicate in writing with your child’s teacher if an alternate mode of transportation is to be utilized beyond the regular method.  Please keep in mind that teachers are not checking emails on a regular basis during the school day, as they are providing instruction to our students.  Therefore, we ask that all changes involving transportation be sent to the teachers attention first thing in the morning.  Additionally, if your child is assigned to ride one mode on specific days and another on specific days, please ensure that this is communicated to the teacher as well.  For example, it is possible that your child may ride the bus home on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but then be a car rider on Tuesday and Thursday.  In cases such as this, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the student and the teacher know the specific schedule for afternoon dismissal.  Providing the classroom teacher with a calendar or written documentation will ensure that the child goes home the correct way each day.

    Car Riders:

    Parents may choose for their children to be car riders at any time during the school year. A car rider placard, which can be placed inside of your windshield, will be issued to parents along with instructions for following our safety procedures for our CarPool Lane. At 2:50 p.m., Car Riders are called to line up and are escorted to the gym to sit in grade level lines until their names are called to the carpool lane, where teachers will assist students into the cars.  If you plan on your child using the car rider line at some point during the school year and you do not have a car rider placard, please contact Lisa Estrada in the front office at 980-343-0372.

    SECTION 4-Frequently asked bus questions:

    Q:  When will I receive my child’s bus stop assignment information?​

    A:  Student bus schedule information will be distributed to the schools during the second week of August. Schools will send that information directly to the parents with other opening of school information. 

    Q: What if I need to have my stop changed for some reason?

    A: In order to change a bus stop or request a new one, you must go to the CMS website and complete the Alternate Stop, Unsafe Stop, or Change in Request form.  These are then submitted electronically.  The site is https://cms nc.alphaportal.app/#/user/sign-in.    Look for the transportation link at the bottom of the site.  Depending on the time of year, this could take several days to two weeks to be approved before they can actually be assigned to the bus and begin riding.  Once you have submitted the change of information, please contact the school in about 3 days to verify if it has been approved.

    Q:  What if I need my child to ride to a daycare center that is being served via a CMS bus?

    A: If you have registered your child at a daycare service that CMS provides transportation to, you will need to go online at the CMS website and request that stop in the section titled Alternate Stop.    Your child’s daycare service cannot do this for you.  This only applies to daycare services that CMS provides bus transportation for, not daycare vans.  Failure to request the daycare stop will mandate that the driver take your child to the assigned home stop.  The sooner this is completed, the sooner your child will be able to ride the bus to that daycare.

    Q: Can my child be left at the bus stop without an adult present to meet them?

    A: Unless the child is 4 years old and in the pre-k program, they will be dropped off at their assigned stop with or without an adult being present.  Please allow 5-10 minutes on each side of the scheduled bus pick up and drop off times, especially at the beginning of the year.

    Q: What if I need to change my transportation for a period of time, such as to a car rider?

    A: A written note must be sent into the child’s teacher explaining the change in transportation.  This will be signed off by an administrator.  We do not accept changes for transportation over the phone.

    Q:  Can my child ride another bus home with a friend?

    A:  Based on CMS Transportation, if the child is not officially assigned to the bus, they may not ride home with a friend on another CMS bus.  This is due to overcrowding and liability concerns.

    Q: How can I be sure that my child will get to their assigned bus in the afternoon?

    A: All buses are assigned a specific slot on the school bus lot.  Each classroom teacher will lead their class out to the lot and drop each child off at their assigned bus to ensure their safety.

    Q:  We have moved and I need to change my child’s address, how do I do this?

    A:  The parent/guardian needs to contact the school and provide proof of residence address.  The new address needs to be entered into PowerSchool.  Transportation eligibility will be determined and a bus stop will be scheduled accordingly.  If the address is not correct or is not updated, Transportation cannot be held responsible for the location a child is picked up or dropped off.

    Q:   If the school assignment on my child’s bus schedule is not correct, who do I call? 

    A:  Contact the Student Placement Office at 980-343-5335 to verify the school assignment.

    Q:  My child’s bus has not shown up and/or is consistently late; who can I call? 

    A:  The parent should contact the Transportation Area Office responsible for their school to discuss their concern and receive resolution.   The Hopewell Division is responsible for Barnette.  Their number is 980-343-5955.  Please be patient at the beginning of school due to the number of changes in schedules and the number of calls being handled in the central transportation office and area offices.  

    Q:  The bus did not show up on time for my child. How long should he or she wait at the stop?

    A:  Your child should arrive at the stop at least ten minutes before the regular arrival time of the bus. If there is a substitute driver, the times may not be consistent with the regular times. If the bus is late, ask your child to remain at the stop. Buses break down, roads are blocked, drivers become ill or have emergencies, but there will always be a bus at every stop. If the wait becomes extreme, please call your area transportation office.  The phone number for the Hopewell Division is 980-343-5955.

    Q:  ​Why are buses sometimes late?

    A:  School bus drivers can have the same reasons as motorists for being late. Traffic delays, weather conditions, accidents or driver’s illness are just a few reasons. In cases where the regularly assigned bus or driver is unable to pick up students, a separate bus and driver are dispatched to pick up the students as quickly as possible. Please contact the transportation area office that serves you child's school.  The Hopewell Division serves Barnette, and can be reached at 980-343-5955.