School Pool

It’s not just carpooling!

Metro School Pool helps alleviate traffic at your school by providing free information and tools to help parents save time and get their children to school safely.

Options for getting your students to school include carpooling, walking and bicycling, taking public transit, or offering a school bus service. Setting up drop-off lanes or a valet service at your student’s school also helps create a safer school environment.

If you are a school, it’s easy to get started. Just fill out the Metro School Pool Enrollment Form. Metro will send you all the School Pool materials needed to launch a successful program.

If you are a parent or student, just fill out the Metro School Pool Interest Form and Metro will contact your school about starting a School Pool program.
And if your school already has a program in place that has made it easier for your students to get to and from school, let us know! Or find out more by contacting local schools that are making positive changes.

How to use School Pool

When your school joins the School Pool program, Metro will create a school-specific website where parents can complete registration forms (samples in English or Spanish).

After parents complete the registration forms, Metro can help you use School Pool in two ways:

• Metro can create a School Pool Directory for your school. The directory will list all families willing to carpool and will sort participants by either Streets or City/Zip Codes.
• Metro can provide individual match lists for each participant, which contain the names and phone numbers of nearby families who are interested in carpooling on a regular basis or in case of an emergency.

Contact information is confidential and will not be shared outside of School Pool participants. Usually at least 50 surveys are required per school for successful matching.

Carpool/Traffic Control

Carpooling

Carpooling is a great chance for families to meet and help share the daily responsibilities of taking their students to and from school. Families can choose to carpool every day; during special circumstances; to school, from school, or both ways.

Almost half of all students travel to school by car, and up to 40% of parents who drive their student to school return home immediately afterward – so it may be easier to coordinate schedules than you think!

Carpooling is also an effective way to save money on gas, prevent wear and tear on your car, and reduce traffic and pollution in your neighborhood.

Controlling Traffic Around Your School

Valet programs have reduced traffic snarls at other schools by ensuring that students are dropped off at the curb quickly and safely. Los Angeles Unified School District provides free training and valet kits (safety vests, traffic cones) to parents.

Your local law enforcement department can also help make commuting to school safer for students! The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department has established several different school partnership programs.

Walk/Bike

Walking and Biking

Research shows that children get up to one-third of their daily exercise from walking to school. You can promote walking and biking to and from your school to encourage students to exercise and to improve the quality of the environment. To make walking and biking safe for everyone, consider the following resources:

> It's easy to organize a walking school bus!

> The LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety provides maps of safe walking routes to every school in the district. It also has information on how to start a safety valet program at your school.

> The Safe Routes to School National Partnership offers a resource library about policies that affect walking and biking to school.

> The Centers for Disease Control has created a KidsWalk-to-School campaign with presentations and flyers that you can use to get the program started in your community.

> The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition has information about bicycling safely in Los Angeles, including local bike maps.

> The California Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance Resource Center has lesson plans on walking and bicycling safely for students and adults. They can also help you find funding to make walking and bicycling safer for your community.

> There are also a number of local bike cooperatives where you and your student can learn to repair and even build a bicycle.

Transit/School Bus

Public Transit

Public transit is an option for older students and parents who volunteer to lead groups of students to school. Help relieve traffic! Check out Metro's Rider's Guide and easy to use Trip Planner to find your route!

Discounted Metro fares are available for all K-12 students. DASH tickets can also be pre-purchased in bulk. Transit passes may be available from LAUSD for certain qualified students.

Metro also offers public art tours and safety presentations about the Metro system that are open to all students, as well as free class field trips to museums and other destinations:

> Metro Transit Education Programs & Safety

> Metro Student Field Trips

> Metro Rail Public Art Tours

> Metro Safety Teaching Aids

School Bus Service

Help reduce traffic and parking needs by implementing a school bus service. The United Motorcoach Association offers helpful information on getting this service started, including how to evaluate a bus company and how to plan an effective bus route. Los Angeles Unified School District has also published a list of safety-approved charter bus companies.

For questions about Los Angeles Unified School District school bus service, contact their Transportation Services Division.

For further information, call Metro at 213.922.2811.

Disclaimer: The information on this site is provided as a resource. Metro does not partner with or endorse these resources. Metro simply has listed these resources as programs for parents, schools and students to understand Metro School Pool. Metro School Pool is a voluntary program.