Transportation

Students living within one road mile from the school are expected to walk or bike to school. A one-mile walking distance should take approximately 20-30 minutes walking one way; this approximates a child's walking pace of 3 miles per hour (mph). To see whether your child is on a walk route, please check Infofinder Bus Route Locator.

Walk routes follow a pre-determined process to decide these walk boundaries.  Click here for the process.

Sixty minutes is the recommended amount of physical activity time for kids and teenagers every day. Increasing physical activity has positive effects on learning, physical and mental health. Walking or biking to and from school is a great way to incorporate more physical activity into the day.

For safety tips visit Safety To and From School.

Biking is a wonderful way for kids to be more physically active, get to and from school quickly, and learn more about independent transportation.

When biking be sure to stay safe – wear bright colors and a helmet, turn on your bike lights, and follow the rules of the road.

For more safety tips visit our Safety To and From School webpage.

The City of Bellingham has been working to make our streets safer for bikes – look here for streets that are better to bike on and plan your route with Google maps. By selecting the bike as your travel option, Google maps will prioritize routes that are better for bikes.

Check out these Bike Safety Videos made by Whatcom Smart Trips and look into the classes they hold to help Whatcom County bike riders feel confident and safe!

If you need to get to or from school outside of regular school times or schedules, the WTA bus system has many convenient routes in Bellingham. There are 4 GO Lines that run buses every 15 minutes. Other routes run once every 30 minutes or every hour. To plan a trip visit WTA’s interactive map and Trip Planner or Google maps. By selecting the bus as a travel option, Google maps will give you bus stops and times to your destination.

WTA bus fares/passes:

If you are 17 or under (or over 17 and still in high school), you ride FREE on WTA.

• If you are in middle school, no WTA bus pass is required. Just step on and ride.
• High school students need a FREE Youth Pass. Passes are available at the main office of your school. You can also pick it up at WTA's Bellingham ​Station, if you bring proof of your age or your current ​school ID. Or, you can request a card by sending an email from your school email address to buspasses@ridewta.com​.  Provide your first name, last name, full birth date and current grade.

All seventh graders in Bellingham Public Schools learn how to ride the bus with Smart Trips during the spring. Smart Trips has opportunities for kids 11-15 across Whatcom County to learn how to navigate the WTA bus system outside of school as well. Email info@WhatcomsmartTrips.org or call 360-756-TRIP (8748) for more information.

Carpool

If it is an option for you - a great way to save money, time, and reduce fuel emissions is to partner with nearby families for a carpooling schedule.

• Notice who else in your neighborhood is driving to and from school everyday.
• Reach out to neighbors to see if they’re interested in carpooling.
• Exchange information and decide who is driving which days.
• Save money and enjoy some added company.

Driving

We encourage you to choose a transportation method other than driving, but if you are a student or parent driving to and from school, please follow our drop-off/pick-up guidelines:

• Be a good neighbor:
  • Don’t park on surrounding private property,
  • Don’t idle for more than 10 seconds – Idling wastes money, gas, and releases toxic vehicle emissions into the air around our schools.

• Drive without distractions, sober, go the speed limit, and wear a seat belt. Take the Target Zero Pledge to help Washington State achieve its goals of reducing traffic-related accidents.

For more information about parking lot safety, picking up and dropping off at school visit Safety To and From School.