Michigan school sports transportation rules
Updated October 28, 2026 · Written by PJ McCarty, head track and cross country coach at Carson City-Crystal
Away games and meets put students in vans and buses every week. This page sums up what Michigan and federal law ask of the school, so an athletic director or transportation manager can check a trip before it leaves. It is a plain-language guide, not legal advice; your district’s attorney and the Michigan Department of Education have the final word.
- A vehicle that is not a school bus can carry students only if it is rated for 10 or fewer passengers. 15-passenger vans are out.
- Every school bus needs its yearly Michigan State Police inspection.
- School bus drivers need a CDL with the P and S endorsements, drug and alcohol testing, and a safety course every 2 years.
- A parent driving their own child is not covered by the school bus rules.
Which vehicles can carry students
Michigan’s Pupil Transportation Act treats any vehicle rated for 11 or more passengers as a school bus. A vehicle like that which is not built as a school bus, such as a 15-passenger van, may not be used to carry students to school or to school-related events like games and meets. A multifunction school activity bus (MFSAB) counts as a school bus. Cars and vans rated for 10 or fewer passengers are outside the act.
Law: MCL 257.1807. Federal law (49 U.S.C. 30112) also requires that new vehicles for more than 10 passengers sold or leased to carry students meet school bus safety standards.
School bus inspections
The Michigan State Police inspect every school bus and pupil transportation vehicle each year. A bus that passes gets a windshield sticker for that school year. Keep the inspection date on file and don’t schedule a bus whose inspection has run out.
Source: Michigan State Police, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, school bus inspection program.
Driver license and endorsements
- A vehicle built for 16 or more people, counting the driver, needs a driver with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and the P (passenger) endorsement.
- Michigan school bus drivers also need the S (school bus) endorsement and must be at least 18.
- A driver with 7 or more points on their record may not drive students.
Law: 49 CFR 383; MCL 257.1849.
Drug and alcohol testing
CDL drivers must be in a drug and alcohol testing program: before they start, at random, after an accident and when there is reasonable suspicion. The school must also check each CDL driver in the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before hiring and at least once a year.
Law: 49 CFR 40 and 382; MCL 257.1849.
Driver training
A new school bus driver enrolls in the entry-level school bus safety course and must finish it within 90 days. After that, every driver takes a 6-hour continuing education course every 2 years. Staff who supervise school bus operations have their own training every 2 years.
Law: MCL 257.1851.
Medical card
CDL drivers need a current medical examiner’s certificate. Michigan school bus drivers can’t drive under a Michigan intrastate medical waiver.
Parents and volunteers
A parent or guardian driving their own child, or another child with that child’s parent’s written permission, to a school-related event is not covered by the Pupil Transportation Act. Check your district’s own policy and insurance before relying on parent drivers.
Law: MCL 257.1807.
Student information
Trip manifests hold student names and parent phone numbers, so the software you use matters. Michigan’s Student Online Personal Protection Act bars school software companies from selling student information, using it for targeted ads or building profiles of students, and requires them to delete it when the school asks. FERPA and COPPA set the federal rules.
Law: MCL 388.1291-388.1295; 20 U.S.C. 1232g; 16 CFR 312.