Door-to-door transportation is provided for children with specialized needs. This includes students with disabilities or special education needs as specified in their Individualized Education Plan. Additionally, in accordance with the McKinney-Vento Act, transportation is provided to homeless students of all grades living in transitional housing outside of Cambridge who continue to attend school in our district.
Specialized transportation is provided by an outside vendor via a bidding process.
The current vendor is:
NRT Transportation, a Beacon Mobility company.
13 New Salem St., Wakefield, MA 01880
781.224.0003 Extension 1
Terminal Manager – Maritza Baez
Assistant - Elida Balluka
Rules and Expectations
Pick Up and Drop Off
- To ensure the health and safety of everyone, a strict schedule is maintained by the drivers so that all children arrive at school on time.
- The drivers are instructed to sound their horns upon arrival, sound it again after 2 minutes have elapsed, then leave unless otherwise notified by the Transportation Office.
- Parents or an authorized representative must be present to receive children returning from school. Children with disabilities will not be left at home without a parent or representative to greet them.
Children with disabilities who are not met by an adult will be taken to the Office of Special Education located at 135 Berkshire Street in Cambridge. The parent or caregiver is responsible for picking up the student at this address.
If you miss drop off, please call 617.349.6501 or 781.224.0003 x1 as soon as possible.
Absences
- Contact NRT (781.224.0003 x1) as soon as possible if your child will be absent from school.
If NRT is not notified of an absence, transportation will be discontinued after the third day. Parents must contact the Office of Student Services or Transportation Office to resume transportation.
- If you drop your child off at school, but still require afternoon transportation, please call NRT.
- If they do not transport a student in the morning, they will assume that the child does not need afternoon transportation.
Late Buses and Vehicle Issues
- If the bus is late, please report this directly to NRT (781.2240003 x 1).
- Notifying CPS staff of ongoing issues is appreciated, as this will help monitor NRT’s performance. If we do not hear from you we can only assume that everything is running smoothly.
- If there is a significant delay in transportation to your home or a student’s after school program, you will receive a phone call from NRT detailing the circumstances and approximate arrival time.
Closings and Cancellations
- If Cambridge schools are closed due to inclement weather, transportation will not be provided in or out of the district.
- If CPS closes school and your child attends an out-of-district school where the schools in that town are open, transportation will not be provided.
Transportation Changes
Permanent changes to your child’s transportation schedule, such as AM/PM locations, using the service only AM or PM, dropping off or picking up from a location other than home, canceling or reinstating services must be made through the CPS Transportation Office.
We realize parents sometimes call their drivers/monitors with transportation changes. This will not make a permanent change to your child’s service. You must also call NRT (781.224.0003 x 1).
Leave a message if necessary. If you make special arrangements with the driver, a substitute driver will not know and will adhere to the normal schedule.