Transportation
District Transportation Offices
264 Jamie Lane
Wauconda, IL 60084
Phone: (847) 526-6672
Fax: (847) 526-1262
Rick Strauss, Director of Transportation
rstrauss@d118.org
(847) 526-6672
Join our incredible team of D118 bus drivers!
Bus Drivers Wanted
***BUS DRIVERS WANTED***
If you are interested in becoming a bus driver, District 118 provides the needed training for any certifications and licensing that will prepare you to be successful in this new position.
If you are seeking a job that mirrors your child’s/children’s school schedule and/or a position in which you can bring your children to work, we are always recruiting high quality community members to join our Transportation Team as drivers and aides. You will receive training in CPR, CPI, and receive a Class B CDL license with Passenger and School Bus Permit. You will receive school holidays and days off with your children and still have the ability to be around for after-school activities. You may even get the possibility of getting paid to go watch your child’s game, if you drive the team your child plays for. We have full-time and part-time AM or PM positions available. Of course, it's challenging and yet also rewarding. Come join our team, and work for District 118!
You must be available to drive a bus route from 6:00-9:00 am and/ or 2:10-4:30 pm.
Qualified Driver applicants will have in-house paid training for a Class B CDL with P & S Endorsement.
Stating Rate is $25.20 + $7 per hour unused health benefit = $32.00
If interested, please call Rick at District 118 Transportation: 847-526-6672 or complete the following application and return it to Transportation along with a current copy of your MVR and School bus Eligibility Receipt from the Secretary of State.
Click here for Wauconda Transportation application.
Training Curriculum Links
General Information
Bus transportation funding is provided by the state through reimbursement to District #118 for pupils living one and one half miles or more from school. Students living less than one and one half miles from school are not entitled to free transportation per Illinois State Board of Education school code. Please call the transportation department if you are not sure if you qualify for free service.
Routing & Bus Stops
Our district uses consolidated corner stops. Students who ride the bus will be assigned a bus stop, bus number and time at the beginning of each school year. It is expected that students be at the bus stop at least five minutes before their scheduled pickup time. Conversely, parents should be at the afternoon bus stop at least five minutes before the scheduled drop off time. When designing routes, there are several factors that are considered before decisions are made. Ride times can and will vary from school to school as well as route-to-route.
Students are not allowed to go home with other students or ride other buses. Students are not allowed to switch between stops, even if on the same bus. According to State regulations, student transportation is provided from the student’s residence to school only. However, the District 118 School Board offers parents of students the option of transportation to or from a daycare provider. This option allows for students to be picked up or dropped off at a daycare provider within the student’s assigned school boundary.
This service must be a five-day a week arrangement, using the same stop. Alternating between home and sitter addresses on different days of the week is not allowed. The only exception to this practice is on Friday mornings due to the District’s Late Start Staff Development program. Please contact your student’s school for the proper application form for Friday exceptions. The form should be turned in at the school. Allow three days for the change to take place. Please call the transportation department if you have any questions.
Activity Bus Routes (Late Run Routes)
Late Runs are a service provided to middle and high school students who are part of D118 Activities. They are a scaled down version of the stops throughout the District. There are only 2 buses at each middle school and 3 buses at the high school. For the middle school level, the stops are chosen that will cover the district stops in each neighborhood, but still allow the buses to make it to the high school for the high school late run within an hour. At the high school level, there are only three buses to cover the entire district so stops are typically at the top of each neighborhood.
If you intend to have your student ride the late runs, please don't expect your student to be let off at their normal stop. If you are uncomfortable letting them walk to the designated late run stop in your neighborhood (typically in the dark in the winter), you may want to pick them up from the stop. Please understand that late runs cover an enormous amount of area and have a limited amount of time to complete the task. Students who ride the buses are expected to be responsible and knowledgeable about where they get off and how to get home from that stop. If it is their first time riding and they need extra assistance, please make sure they request assistance from the driver to learn what stop will best suit their needs. Also please note the routes are built to typically run about an hour each, however when activity levels are high at the schools or there are poor weather conditions, the buses will run longer than an hour.
To view D118 Activity Bus/Late Run Bus Routes for Matthews Middle School, Wauconda Middle School and Wauconda High School, please click here.
School Bus Safety
Safety Education Videos for Students
Safety Education Videos for Parents
Driving Safety 101: School Safety
Note: While this video was filmed in Montana, laws and fines described are the same in Illinois.
Max Houdini Safety Vest Video (for Parents of Special Needs Children)
School Bus Safety Public Service Announcement Videos
Bus Rules
Rules for bus riders are in the handbooks for each student’s school. Please review these rules with your child. These rules are in place to help provide a safe ride to and from school. Please call the transportation department if you have any questions. Additionally, the Transportation department has prepared the following documents regarding bus rules:
Frequently Asked Questions
Wauconda Transportation Department is operated by Wauconda District Transportation Employees.
We are not a bus company; all bus drivers are employees of the district. All employees are sent through both state and federal fingerprint background checks prior to employment. All Transportation employees are CPR trained. Each driver is certified by the state of Illinois to safely operate a school bus in Illinois and is evaluated by a medical examiner yearly to make sure they are fit for duty. In addition, each driver is subjected to random drug screens to ensure they are not using any alcohol or drugs that would inhibit their ability to operate a school bus safely.
I would like to talk to my student’s bus driver, can I call them?
No, but you can email them. Each driver has a district email which is the first initial of their first name and their last name, @d118.org. (Example: jsmith@d118.org) If you need help with your student’s driver information, just call us at (847) 526-6672 and ask for your driver’s email address. Our office staff will ask your student’s name to verify the driver assigned to your student’s route. Most of the drivers have their district emails linked to their phone so they will likely get a notification as soon as you send it, provided they are not driving a bus.
We have moved within the District and I need to make a bus change, how do I inform transportation?
You can make a change to your student’s current bus schedule by filling out the Change of Address Form available at your child’s school and linked within this document. You may also download the form from the Transportation Department’s page on the D118 website. Print, complete and return the form to your student’s school to be processed. All bus stop changes take a minimum of 3 school days to be processed. If you would like your change to begin later than the 3 days, please provide the date you would like the change to start. Once your request has been processed, please monitor your student’s information on the PowerSchool portal, as it will change there when it is complete.
Do I have to be at the bus stop for my student?
We highly encourage that someone meet the student at the bus stop, especially K-5 students. However, grades 2-12 will be dropped at their bus stop and released. Parents of our Kindergarten and 1st grade students will always need to be present at the stop. All Kindergarten and 1st grade parents need to complete the Kindergarten/1st Grade Drop Off Consent Form to signify if you want your student(s) never to be dropped at the stop without a guardian present or, if you want your student released without a parent or guardian present at the stop. You will need to indicate who those individuals are on the form (example; Grandma, neighbor, older sibling) that are allowed to receive your student(s) at the stop.
I would like to change my Kindergarten/1st Grade Student’s drop off permission sheet, how can I make a change?
Please complete the Kindergarten/1st Grade Drop Off Consent Form. Revise the student form section and return to your student’s school. The change will start the next school day once transportation receives it.
What time should my student go to their bus stop?
Students should be waiting at their bus stop, ready to load, 5 minutes prior to the scheduled pick up time. Especially if you live on a major roadway, the buses cannot sit for any length of time on busy roadways so it is imperative you are out and ready to board for the safety of those on board the bus as well as your student safety.
My student’s bus is arriving earlier or later than the listed time I received from transportation, why?
Bus routes are meticulously planned prior to the start of the year, and the goal of each driver is, “seldom late, never early” but traffic and mechanical issues may cause delays in any route from time to time. In addition, school bus routes are changed frequently because of enrollment changes. Especially during the start of the year, a student's time could change daily as students are added or removed from a route. Please check your student’s bus time frequently at the start of the school year. After the first two weeks when changes to the routes are less frequent you will receive an email from the Transportation department asking you to check your students information on the PowerSchool portal if there are changes to a students file of more than 5 min.
Why is my student’s stop getting further away as they get older?
As students get older and become more responsible for their own actions and able to care for their own safety, they are expected to walk further from their home to get to a stop. Plus we have over 1200 students at the High school level that are eligible for bus service, so keeping the stops to a minimum is imperative to getting the middle and elementary levels on time. The absolute limit would be up to 1 ½ miles for a High school student, but in truth, most students walk about a block or two. On major roadways that don't have sidewalks, Kindergarten students or special needs students may be assigned a door to door stop, depending on circumstances. We have over 4000 students that need to get to school each day. Routes would take until lunch time if we picked up everyone at their door.
My student is the only one at the bus stop; can we move it to my home?
Unfortunately, we cannot. Your student’s bus stop could be used for other school buildings and cannot be changed due to the current population. In addition, students may be added to the bus stop at any time throughout the school year.
During inclement weather, the bus stop is covered with snow. What should we do?
The driver may have told your student where to stand, if not, please go to the first driveway that is cleared of snow, to wait for the bus to arrive. The driver will move the bus stop back to the original location as soon as a path is cleared for the students to wait. We would like to ask the community to please assist us by keeping the bus stops clear of snow. We realize that this might not always be possible.
Can my child ride home on a friend’s bus?
No. Due to the capacity of our bus routes, students are not allowed to ride busses other than their assigned bus. Plus when students are let off at stops other than their own, the potential for a child being let off at the wrong stop, or without permission or knowledge goes up exponentially.
I have a Sex Predator in my neighborhood, what do I do?
As part of the fabric of our society we are faced with the challenge of dealing with registered sexual predators living among us. As a school district we try very hard to make sure we are aware of the predators in our neighborhoods and route students and stops accordingly. The District is not at liberty to publish information about predators however we may make stop and route decisions to keep students from walking past a predator's home. We monitor both County and City data bases quarterly and update our info and routes accordingly. However from time to time there may be a predator we are unaware of. Please feel free to reach out and let us know so we can adjust to keep our children safe.
Illinois State Board of Education Frequently Asked Questions Regarding School Transportation
Pupil Transportation FAQs from Illinois State Board of Education
Transportation Forms
The following forms will aide the Transportation Department in providing families with appropriate District 118 transportation services:
Emergency Medical Information Form for Students with Special Needs or Medical Conditions Who Ride Buses -- The purpose of this form is to give school bus drivers and/or emergency medical technicians information about children who have special needs or medical conditions. The use of this form is subject to the discretion of the parent(s)/guardian(s).
Bus Operation & Bus Drivers
Bus Operation
Wauconda CUSD 118 operates its own fleet of school buses. Each bus is maintained at our Transportation Center. All buses are inspected twice yearly by the State of Illinois to insure that each vehicle is complying with State and Federal regulations. All buses are supplied the proper safety equipment, which includes fire extinguishers, two-way radios and first aid kits. Please see the following link for more information: 2020-2021 Transportation Overview Report.
Bus Drivers
Our school bus drivers have been trained and fulfill the requirements put forth by the State of Illinois. In order to hold a school bus permit the driver must complete the following: attend annual classroom training by State of Illinois instructors, undergo an annual physical and drug screen, participate in a random drug and alcohol testing program, and have a criminal background check performed by the State and FBI (fingerprints).