Category Archives: Transportation

Revised survey available from HISD Transportation on 2018-2019 standardized school start times

Editor’s note: The district has heard concerns about the initial survey that was presented earlier this week on standardized school start times, and in response has revised the survey to offer more choices and an opportunity to include comments. Questions are also added that will collect more information about the needs of those taking the survey.

HISD is considering standardizing school start times across grade levels starting in the 2018-19 school year, with the goal of increasing the efficiency of bus transportation, and is conducting a survey to collect parent feedback.

Across more than 280 campuses, HISD manages 67 different school start times – which is the highest number in the state. This poses challenges to delivering safe, reliable, and affordable transportation for students. Those challenges include: ineffective routes, increased cost of maintenance and repairs, and reduced availability for field trips and athletic events (an increased cost for campuses).

Take the revised parent survey now Continue reading →

HISD partners with Houston METRO to offer free summer rides to students

The Houston Independent School District has partnered with METRO to offer free rides this summer to all HISD students as part of their Summer of Fun Pass program.

The Summer of Fun Pass allows students to ride any METRO local bus, Park & Ride bus, or METRO Rail for free from June 1 to Sept. 1, 2017. The program helps students attend summer programs and jobs without having to worry about transportation. Continue reading →

HISD Transportation seeking drivers, attendants for 2017-2018 school year

HISD’s Transportation Department is looking for the best school bus drivers and attendants to join its nationally recognized team for the 2017-2018 school year.

For immediate consideration, interested candidates should apply online or in person at one of the four terminals between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Terminals are located at:  Continue reading →

Transportation manager credited for saving bus driver’s life

Northwest Terminal Area Manager Terriel Price

Northwest Terminal Area Manager Terriel Price

When HISD bus driver Liliam Lemus fell ill shortly after returning from her route on Monday, Northwest Motor Pool Area Manager Terriel Price jumped into action.

Relying on training provided by HISD Transportation Services, Price performed CPR after Lemus stopped breathing.

“We called first responders and her relatives to let them know what was going on,” Price said. “While I had 911 on the phone, that’s when I performed CPR.”

Continue reading →

HISD Department of Transportation honored for use of ‘green’ school buses

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Mahmoud Chami, Transportation Mechanic Team Lead

District is only one in Texas to receive special recognition

The Houston Independent School District Department of Transportation has been honored with the inaugural Leadership with Propane Autogas Award by the Propane Education and Research Council.

HISD is the only school district in Texas, and one of three in the country, to be recognized by the council for creating a cleaner environment for student bus riders by using propane school buses. The award recipients were announced last week in Reno, Nev. at the Green Bus Summit.

Continue reading →

HISD Transportation seeking top-notch drivers, attendants to join its team

HISD Transportation Department is rolling out its latest recruitment campaign, seeking out the best school bus drivers and attendants to join its nationally recognized team for the upcoming school year.

The department has been hard at work this summer searching for candidates to join its staff of 1,200 employees responsible for safely ferrying about 34,000 students to and from school each day.

Continue reading →

 HISD Transportation employees encouraged to be healthy examples during ‘Love Your Heart’ event  

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The HISD Transportation department and the Houston Educational Support Personnel Union (HESP) is teaming up to fight against heart disease and encouraging employees to live a healthy lifestyle with their Love Your Heart initiative.

About 200 employees packed Northwest Motor Pool on Friday to celebrate the joint effort between Transportation and HESP to raise awareness on the importance of checking your heart health. HISD Interim Superintendent Ken Huewitt, HESP Union President Wretha Thomas and Board Trustees Harvin Moore and Rhonda Skillern-Jones were all on hand in support of the program, which is currently for Transportation employees with plans to expand into other departments. Continue reading →

Bus drivers, attendants support HISD literacy efforts with Reading While Riding program

IMG_3459 (1)Each day after school, HISD bus attendant Betty Beal goes through a special crate full of books, carefully selecting a few to read to two of her student bus riders from Law Elementary School.

Beal is one of 150 support personnel currently assigned to special needs routes in the district and an active member of HISD’s Reading While Riding program, which aims to ensure student success by focusing on students’ literacy and vocabulary development. The program also complements the district’s Literacy By 3 reading initiative, which aims to have every child reading on grade level by the end of third grade.

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HISD staff, students lend a hand during severe flooding across the city 

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In the wake of historic flooding across the Houston area this week, the HISD community has rallied to help in a number of ways, including assisting with the bus evacuations of residents in the Greenspoint area and setting up two school-based shelters on a moment’s notice.

Continue reading →

Information you need to know after inclement weather days this week

With HISD schools and district offices having closed on Monday and Tuesday of this week due to widespread flooding across the city, here is some useful information and answers to questions you might have as students return to school today:

If students are unable to attend school because of safety or transportation concerns, will the absences be excused?

Yes, absences due to flood-related issues of this nature will be excused. Please notify your school. Continue reading →