Field Trips & Extracurricular Transportation

The Transportation Department supports student learning beyond the classroom by providing bus services for field trips, athletic events, and extracurricular activities. We work with school staff to ensure safe, timely, and efficient transportation to and from approved destinations. All trips are coordinated with trained drivers who understand the unique needs of student travel. Whether it’s a museum visit, sporting event, or academic competition, our goal is to provide dependable service that enhances the educational experience while maintaining the same high safety standards used for daily transportation.

Field Trip Requests

The following link to the Field Trip Request Form will open a droplet.io form. Please submit the request as early as possible.  Depending on the type of trip, the form may go through several stages of approval, which may delay the scheduling of buses.  Important:  Call the Transportation Department 24 hours before your trip to confirm the number of buses, departure and return times, and any other critical trip details. 

Special Education Field Trips

If you are planning a field trip for students who require special equipment to be transported, for example, a wheelchair or scooter, a special needs bus will need to be requested.  The Special Education Department must approve requests before submitting the Field Trip request to the Transportation Department.   Our special needs buses can accommodate up to two wheelchairs.  We encourage other children to ride the bus with students who have special needs, and an adult chaperone is provided to accompany them on the bus.

Bus Capacity

The District's large buses can hold up to 72 passengers. In some cases, the buses can be filled to capacity for short trips in and around San Marcos at the primary grade levels. The maximum capacity is three students per bus seat. If a bus ride will be more than twenty minutes each way and older students will be transported, we recommend 48 passengers per bus. This 48-passenger limit is highly recommended for the secondary grade levels.  Most of our buses have minimal storage capacity.  If you expect to transport band equipment, sports equipment, or a large quantity of items, please get in touch with the Transportation Department to discuss your needs so they can accommodate your requirements.

Charter Buses

San Marcos Unified School Bus Drivers are highly trained and are held to a high safety standard.  SMUSD buses are regularly inspected in-house at the Transportation Department's Vehicle Repair Facility by our highly skilled Mechanics.  Additionally, the buses are inspected annually by the California Highway Patrol. SMUSD has these programs to ensure our students have the safest transportation services.  Therefore, most requests for the use of charter buses are not approved.  SMUSD cannot ensure that the charter companies operate at the District's high standards.

Field Trip Billing

All monies collected for field trips must be turned in to the site's Office Manager. The Office Manager will then submit the collected funds to the District's Accounting Department. The Transportation Department submits all billing to the District Accounting Department in the month following the field trip. If special documentation is required for grants or scholarships, please contact Valerie Herrera in the Accounting Department before submitting the Transportation Request form.

Moving Truck

The Transportation Department can provide 24-foot box trucks for district use. Due to its size and air-brake system, only qualified Transportation personnel may operate it. The requesting party is responsible for loading, securing, and unloading all cargo. Students are not permitted to ride in the truck.

The cargo area is 25 feet long and 10 feet tall, and the truck is equipped with a hydraulic lift operated by the driver. Tie-downs and moving blankets are not provided.

Use of this vehicle is billed at $5.00 per mile, with a 15-mile minimum. To request service, complete the Transportation Request Form, and include the number of trucks needed in the notes field. Be sure to include the departure time, return time, and destination address. Please note that this vehicle must stop at all California Highway Patrol weigh stations, which may add a few minutes to travel time.

If additional vehicles are required, the Transportation Department will rent trucks to accommodate the request. The requesting site is responsible for all truck rental fees.

Cancellations

Failure to cancel a field trip before the bus arrives at the pickup location will result in a full-price charge to the requesting site.  The Transportation Department's hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Please call at least two hours before the requested pick-up time to avoid a cancellation fee. Cancellations can also be made by sending an email to fieldtrips@smusd.org. Please note the field trip request number, the school site, and the field trip date and time in the body of the email.

In addition to serving SMUSD students, we also provide contracted transportation services for other school districts across San Diego County, as well as approved nonprofit organizations. These partnerships help expand access to educational and enrichment opportunities throughout the region.