Bus Service FAQ

Day to day management lies with the ISB Bus Coordinators, who are in daily contact with the bus company.

With 900 students travelling to and from school each day by bus, the development of routes is a complex process.

As a general principle, students living furthest away from school will normally be picked up first and dropped off last. Routes are also affected by local traffic regulations and traffic flow at certain times of the day. For this reason, we are unable to change individual routes upon request.

We try to ensure that no scheduled journey lasts more than 60 minutes. In the event that this is not possible, we will let you know in advance.

Occasionally, new routes are added to the school bus service. However, for this we need to ensure that there are sufficient students to make this route financially viable.

Whilst we endeavor to provide stops close to your house, this is not always possible. In many Communes, bus traffic is restricted in some streets and, where there are several families living in the same street, we will often schedule a general stop to avoid multiple stops along the same stretch of road.

For security reasons, we only write the bus number on an A4 size paper on the windscreen of the bus.

If there are serious hold-ups either in the morning or in the afternoon, we send a text message and email to the families with children on the bus concerned. In the event of delays, the Bus Coordinator is available to respond to inquiries by telephone from 07:00 when school is in session +32 (0)2 661 42 32.

In the event that bad weather causes delays, we will inform families by text message. When there is snow on the ground and buses are unable to reach some streets, snow stops are put in place in certain stops. Parents will be communicated by email about snow stops in advance. In extreme weather, the bus service is cancelled in the interests of safety and a Snow Day is called, meaning that school is closed. Parents are informed of this by email, text message and notices on the school website.

It is the family’s responsibility to find an alternative means of transport to school. We advise students to be at their bus stop five minutes before the scheduled time.

We expect the students to check they have their belongings each time they leave the bus. However, if they do leave something behind, the bus driver will give it to a staff member who will then bring it to the lost and found in the Bus Office where it will be kept until the next school-wide collection of lost and found items.

Please note that if a student forgets a bag or a case, we are required to open it and make sure it doesn't contain anything dangerous. Please ensure that all belongings are marked with the student’s full name.

No, younger children (Early Childhood & Elementary) are to sit toward the front of the bus. Middle and High School students may sit toward the back of the bus.

Children are to sit facing forward, bottom on the seat (not on top of a backpack, not kneeling/standing on seats), seatbelt fasten, legs and feet hanging forward toward the floor in front of them, not sideways, not playing or talking with friends behind them.

At the end of the school day, children from Kindergarten through Grade 6 assemble in the classroom which is designated with their bus number. They are then walked to the bus by the bus line teacher.

In the early days Middle School students also have a student adviser to help them. In general, buses 1 to 16 leave from the Château, buses from 17 to 29 leave from the Métairie at 15:50 sharp.

For safety reasons, children in Preschool are not allowed to use our bus service. Children in Pre-Kindergarten who have an older sibling on the school bus are allowed to use the bus service in the morning and afternoon (except for Wednesdays afternoon). The older sibling will be required to bring the Pre-Kindergarten student to the ECC building each morning.

In the event a Pre-K child is experiencing difficulties on the bus, the parent will be informed and the child may be removed from the bus system. Prior approval from the ECC Head is required.

Kindergarten and grades 1 to 6 children are taken to their bus each afternoon by their bus line teacher. All drivers are instructed not to leave any child at the bus stop on the homeward journey if the parent is not there. In such cases, the child stays on the bus, the driver contacts the school, the school contacts the parents and works out the best solution. We ask parents to ensure there is a note in their back pack with your family name, address, and emergency numbers.

In additional to the bus drivers, to ensure a safe, enjoyable ride we have a team of trained, responsible bus monitors on every bus. They are led by Mr. Guillermo Osorio osoriog@isb.be, who is the first point of contact on all behavior issues.

Yes. We are very careful about making sure that every bus ride is a positive part of the ISB experience. So, we have a few simple rules:

1. Please always wear seat belts when the bus is moving.
2. Please make sure you always treat other students with kindness and respect. Please be sure to always use appropriate language. No swearing of any kind.
3. Please follow all instructions from the Bus Monitors and Bus Drivers. Any unsafe, disrespectful or uncooperative behaviour will result in a written report, then if repeated, a suspension from bus travel, then, if repeated, removal from the bus system.

The most important one is that they should never cross in front of the bus, as traffic does not always stop for a school bus. Students should wait until the bus has left, check for traffic and only cross when safe to do so. In the morning when students get off the bus they should go straight to their school. At the end of the day, MS/HS students should get on the bus as soon as school is out.

Yes. This privilege could be suspended if the bus is not kept clean.

No. There are limited seats on the bus. Always ask the Bus Office first.

Yes, it would be appreciated if you inform the Bus Office buses@isb.be, especially if you are the first stop on the bus route.

YES, if your child is in ECC or ES: by sending an e-mail before 10:00 to buses@isb.be and to ECCgeneraloffice@isb.be or ESgeneraloffice@isb.be with the full name of your child, grade and homeroom and the exact reason why he/she does not take the bus on that day.

If your child is enrolled in an ISB Plus programme you do not have to e-mail us as the ISB Plus database is automatically merged with our bus database.

If your child has a private lesson afterschool within the school you need to send an email to buses@isb.be

NO, if your child is in MS or HS.

No, doing this jeopardizes the whole security system in place at ISB

Yes, there are 3 late buses departures for MS/HS students, every school day, leaving from the Metairie at 17:10, 17:50 and 18:30 sharp. Late bus routes/schedules are available from buses@isb.be

As there are no regular classes taking place during school holidays, PD days, and Learning conferences, no buses are running on these days. If you wish to know the exact dates of such days in advance, please refer to our school calendar.