Transportation

Transportation Department

Email: [email protected]

Address: 1610 West Wernsing, Effingham, IL 62401

Phone: 217-540-1486

Fax: 217-540-1496

For the 2026-2027 school year, all bus routes will be communicated through the MyRide K-12 app.

Open the app, select your school district, and create an account with your email and a password.

Apple App Store for iOS/iPhone devices

Google Play Store for Android devices

Why Use the MyRide K-12 App?

Did you miss the bus or is the bus running late?

Parents can securely access their student's bus information anytime, including assigned bus routes, pickup and drop-off locations, and scheduled times. The app also provides real-time bus tracking, allowing families to see where the bus is along its route and receive notifications about transportation updates.

Real-time bus tracking to monitor your child's bus location
Route and stop information with pickup and drop-off times and locations
Service alerts and notifications about delays, route changes, or other transportation updates
One account for all your students, making it easy to manage transportation information for the entire family
Secure access using your student's transportation information
Available anytime through the free mobile app or a web browser

Transportation Changes

Bus changes should be submitted via email to the transportation department at [email protected] before August 1, 2026 to ensure bussing on the first day of school.

Department Overview

At Effingham Unit 40 School District, the Transportation Department is committed to providing safe, reliable, and timely transportation for the children of our community, both to and from school, and for all school-related activities.

Responsibilities include managing bus routes, daily schedules, driver assignments, and coordination with schools and departments across the district. Safety is emphasized in every aspect of the operations from route planning and driver training to the purchase and maintenance of equipment.

To support this mission, Unit 40 utilizes state-of-the-art transportation software to safely transport students to:

7 district-owned buildings

4 area parochial schools

6 special education programs

Transportation Department

35 employees

27 school bus drivers
5 bus aides
3 support staff

17 schools

51 vehicles in fleet

AM riders- 29 routes transporting 1,428

PM riders - 27 routes transporting 1,716

Each staff member understands the importance of their role in keeping our children safe while in our care. We work closely with building administrators, coaches, and program leaders to ensure that daily transportation, extracurricular travel, and educational trips run smoothly and on time. Our team also collaborates with local agencies and school leadership to make timely, informed decisions during winter weather events. (see our school cancellation guidelines below)

To ensure compliance and continuous improvement, we partner with several regulatory bodies, including:

The Illinois State Board of Education

Illinois Department of Transportation

Regional Office of Education #3

Illinois Secretary of State

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

School Cancellations Due to Inclement Weather

In emergency situations, such as weather closures or other urgent situations, notifications are distributed first through ParentSquare, then posted to the district website and Facebook page, and shared with official local media channels when appropriate.

The decision to close school or to let out early is not an easy one as it involves a multitude of factors all of which have to be weighed and decided upon in a short period of time.

Unit 40 has three personnel assigned to check roads on winter mornings between 3:00 and 5:45am. Keep in mind that Unit 40 covers over 127 square miles, services 17 schools, and weather conditions can vary. Also included in the decision to close are weather forecasts, reports from law enforcement agencies, and reports from township road commissioners. The actual decision must be made by 6:00am to allow for notification of bus drivers, food preparation personnel, and the media.

Every effort is made to make a good decision with student and staff safety as the main focus. However, even under the best of circumstances weather can and will change. The district will release children to go home early only if all indicators show a strong likelihood of the weather getting worse. It is important for guardians to have a plan established that ensures the safety of their students. Kids that are released early from school need to have a warm, safe place to go. They should have specific instructions from guardians about what to do and who to contact.

The district asks that you not contact the schools or administrative offices to ask if school will be let out early or if it will be in session the next day. The schools have a minimal number of phone lines that need to remain open so that the media can be notified and that available emergency services can be contacted. The school handbook lists the various media services that will be notified of closings. Please keep this information at hand and check those resources for the latest information.

The following Radio and TV stations are notified of weather-related school closings:
WAND TV - Decatur - Channel 17
WCIA TV - Champaign - Channel 3
WTWO TV - Terre Haute - Channel 2
WTHI TV - Terre Haute - Channel 10
WEIU Radio/TV - Charleston (PBS)
WIBI Radio/TV - Mt. Vernon
WKJT Radio (102.3 FM)
WXEF Radio (97.9 FM)
WCRC Radio (95.7 FM)

WCRA Radio (1090 AM)

School Crossing Guard Parent Letter