Skip to main content

Transportation → About Us

About Us

Mission

The Department of Transportation strives to achieve Customer Delight by providing safe, timely, and efficient transportation that contributes to the educational success of all students through staff committed to excellence and continuous improvement. The DOT commits to:

  •  Engaging collaboratively and respectfully with all Customers*, and stakeholders including parents, students, partners, DOT staff, and school staff 
  •  Organizing and optimizing resources, including effective use of technology and sustainable practices 
  • Establishing efficient and effective processes for operational excellence, Customer service, and shared accountability that support teaching and learning
  • Hiring for excellence and diversity and building capacity of all staff
  • Promoting effective two-way communication to provide the highest quality services

*The DOT broadly defines "Customer" as anyone with whom we have contact.

Operations

Montgomery County school buses provide student transportation to over 200 schools in Montgomery County and special schools in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC. Buses are parked strategically throughout the county at six transportation depots. Each depot has a fueling system, maintenance repair shop and houses depot administrative offices. Buses also provide transportation for summer school, field trips and other community activities year-round. In addition to the day-to-day operations handled at the six depots, several other offices within the Department of Transportation work collaboratively to guarantee the safety and efficiency of the students and buses.

 

Buses serving Special Education and other programs (i.e. magnet, gifted & talented and immersion) are routed by a team of specialists in the Transportation Support Services Unit. Field trips and employee hours are also handled within this unit. The Safety and Training Unit works with employees in order for bus operators and attendants to stay current with industry standards and safety measures. Staffing needs are handled by the Department's internal Human Resources Unit. And finally, the Information Technology team works to ensure all of the Department's technological needs are met. All of the staff in these units and at the depots work together towards Delighting Our Customers every day.

  • MCPS buses transport 103,000 students to and from home and school daily
  • There are 1,300+ buses in the fleet
  • MCPS buses travel more than 112,000 miles per day (that's four and a half times around the equator!)

Special Education Transportation

For specific questions not included in this material, parents are urged to contact either the special education office at 240-740-3900 or the Transportation Support Services Unit at 301-444-8580. Note: transportation requests are not taken over the phone. Please contact your student's school if there are any transportation changes. 

Get detailed information about special education transportation

Staff Awards

Transportation employees are eligible for three types of awards: Above & Beyond The Call of Duty (ABCD), Customer Delight and Perfect Attendance. Award eligibility and recipients are featured on the Awards page.