Friendly/Knowledgeable Drivers - The Blake bus ride is an extension of the school day. Blake's drivers use this time to your child's advantage by promoting safety first, providing a supportive and friendly bus environment, and upholding values in line with Blake's mission.
Convenient Service - The Blake bus system is designed to offer transportation options that help manage your family's time. You can choose the service that best meets your family's needs (check out the new shuttle points!). Not waiting in carpool lines or making multiple trips to and from campus saves you valuable time.
Safety - All Blake school buses meet the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for crash protection, are inspected continually by professionals, and driven by individuals trained and certified by the State of Minnesota to operate commercial vehicles.
Environmental/Economic Impact - By having your child ride the bus, you are supporting a mass transit system that helps reduce the amount of damaging pollutants emitted into the atmosphere. You also save money on rising fuel costs by not driving your vehicle as often.
If you are unsure who to contact, please e-mail our general transportation mailbox at transportationconf@blakeschool.org. A member of the transportation team will reply to your question or concern promptly.
Dispatch - (952) 988-3871 (Available during morning and afternoon routes on school days)
Weather Hotline - (952) 988-3444 (Used for weather emergencies that may cause school to be delayed or closed)
Transportation Services
Blake Transportation's shuttle service is a centralized bus service that is both price-conscious and efficient. It offers families who are interested in bus service an alternative to door service. The shuttle locations are easily-accessible and centrally-located in neighborhoods with high concentration of Blake families. The Transportation Office at Blake first piloted the shuttle program in 2006-07 and it has continued through the current year. For 2008-09, the shuttle program is undergoing a considerable expansion with the creation of more than 10 new shuttle pick up locations. Below are all of the shuttle pick up locations for the 2008-09 school year. For more detailed information on a specific location check out our morning and afternoon shuttle illustration or contact the Transportation Office. To sign up for shuttle service, complete the 2008-09 sign up form and select your desired AM and PM shuttle pick up locations.
AM PICK UP Northrop Campus - Minneapolis
Hopkins - Blake Campus, 110 Blake Road South
Eden Prairie - Office Depot, 1600 Leona Road
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Minnetonka - Ridgedale Mall (Macy's), 12411 Wayzata Blvd.
Wayzata - Highcroft Campus, 301 Peavey Lane
Wayzata - Lunds, Colonial Square., 1150 Wayzata Blvd.
Blake Campus - Hopkins
Mpls - Northrop Campus, 511 Kenwood Parkway
Mpls - Kenwood Rec Center, 2115 21st W
Mpls - Lynnhurst Park, 5000 James Avenue South
Edina - Browndale Park, 5100 Morningside Avenue
Edina - Wooddale Park, 5000 Wooddale Avenue
Deephaven - City Hall, 20225 Cottagewood Road
Mtka - Lakewinds, 17515 Minnetonka Blvd
Mtka - Williston Road & Highway 7
Wayzata - Highcroft Campus, 311 Peavey Lane
Plymouth - Petsmart, 4190 Vinewood Lane
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Orono - Rick's Market, 3333 Shoreline Drive
St Louis Park - France Avenue & Lake Street West
Highcroft Campus - Wayzata
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Shorewood - Cub Foods, 23800 Highway 7
Mpls - Northrop Campus, 511 Kenwood Parkway
Orono - Rick's Market, 3333 Shoreline Drive
Orono - Fox St & Leaf St
Mtka - Lakewinds, 17515 Minnetonka Blvd
Mtka - Meadow Park, Oakland Road & Stone Road
PM DROP OFF Northrop Campus - Minneapolis
Mpls - Lynnhurst Park, 5000 James Ave S
Edina - Browndale Park, 5100 Morningside Ave
Edina - Wooddale Park, 5000 Wooddale Ave
Deephaven - City Hall, 20225 Cottagewood Road
Mtka - Lakewinds, 17515 Minnetonka Blvd.
Mtka - Williston Road & Highway 7<
Wayzata - Highcroft Campus, 311 Peavey Lane
Plymouth - Petsmart Lot, 5190 Vinewood Lane
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Orono - Rick's Market, 3333 Shoreline Drive
St Louis Park - France Ave & Lake Street West
Blake Campus - Hopkins
Mpls - Northrop Campus, 511 Kenwood Parkway
Mpls - Kenwood Rec Center, 2115 21st W
Mpls - Lynnhurst Park, 5000 James Avenue South
Mpls - Temple Israel, 2324 Emerson Ave S
Edina - Browndale Park, 5100 Morningside Avenue
Edina - Wooddale Park, 5000 Wooddale Avenue
Deephaven - City Hall, 20225 Cottagewood Road
Mtka - Lakewinds, 17515 Minnetonka Blvd
Mtka - Williston Road & Highway 7
Wayzata - Highcroft Campus, 311 Peavey Lane
Plymouth - Petsmart, 4190 Vinewood Lane
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Orono - Rick's Market, 3333 Shoreline Drive
St Louis Park - France Avenue & Lake Street West
Highcroft Campus - Wayzata
Eden Prairie - Bearpath CC, 18100 Bearpath Trail
Shorewood - Cub Foods, 23800 Highway 7
Mpls - Northrop Campus, 511 Kenwood Parkway
Mpls - Temple Israel, 2324 Emerson Ave S
Orono - Rick's Market, 3333 Shoreline Drive
Orono - Fox St & Leaf St
Mtka - Lakewinds, 17515 Minnetonka Blvd
Mtka - Meadow Park, Oakland Road & Stone Road
Mtka - Adath Synagogue, 10500 Hillside Road
Noon Bus Service
Blake Transportation offers bus service to Pre-K and Kindergarten students at 12 noon on Fridays. Service is provided at no charge to families who have already purchased roundtrip home service for their child(ren). Otherwise, full year home service on Fridays is $345.
Northrop Campus Transportation
Upper School transportation is limited at Blake due to historically low interest in bus service. Consequently, the transportation department provides shuttle service in the morning, at limited locations across the west metro, to the Northrop campus. In the afternoon Upper School students who would like bus service home must catch a shuttle bus to the Blake campus in Hopkins first. Transportation provides shuttle service at no charge from the Northrop campus to the Blake campus every school day. The buses depart at 3:00 p.m. from the front entrance of the Northrop campus. The shuttle buses drop all students in the Upper Parking Lot by the Main entrance to the Middle School. All Upper School students who sign up for afternoon transportation service must catch this shuttle bus to the Blake campus to meet up with their afternoon bus. All Blake campus buses in Hopkins depart on routes promptly at 3:35 p.m. Upper School students do not have to sign-up for the 3:00 p.m. bus to Hopkins.
Evening Activity Shuttle Buses
Blake's Transportation Office will offer two evening activity shuttles for 2008--09. One will depart from the Blake campus in Hopkins at 5:30 p.m. and will drop at the Highcroft campus. The other will depart from the Blake campus (Hopkins) at 5:45 p.m. and will drop at the Northrop campus. Both shuttles will be broken into three seasons - fall, winter and spring. All three seasons for both shuttles require a minimum sign up of 20 riders. Shuttles will not run for that specific season without the required sign up. All families who do sign up will receive an e-mail from the transportation office confirming the shuttle bus prior to start up. Please sign up early to avoid cancellation later in the year. The activity shuttle buses are listed under the Blake campus on the Services and Rates form.
FY 2008-09 Rates
Go here for a copy of the 2008-09 Blake Transportation Service and Rates Form.
Deposits, Refunds and Cancellation of Service
Blake's entire transportation team-from your driver to the director-is committed to making your child(ren)'s experience on the bus successful. A successful transportation system is a partnership between families and the School. Families need to determine and commit to transportation services early and embrace the capabilities and limitations of a mass transit system. The School needs to provide a safe, dependable service that clearly outlines its capabilities and commitments up front. To this end, pro-rated refunds are not provided unless the School does not adequately provide effective services.
Blake's Transportation Office reserves the right to cancel bus service in certain areas of the Twin Cities if sufficient riders do not sign up for service. All cancellations will be communicated to those families impacted by the cancellations by August 1 of the upcoming school year.
To sign up for transportation services a non-refundable, $500 deposit must be submitted. The deposit is credited to your overall transportation bill in October. Families who receive need-based financial aid are not required to submit a deposit.
Transportation Information Forms Student Information Form
All families must complete this form for every student attending Blake. The information on the front page is critical for us to be able to communicate with you during the school year and complete our attendance reports to districts. This form is due July 1, 2008.
Students who require Blake bus service must also complete the Services and Rates form found on the back of the information form. Be sure to select only one service option. One student per form, please. Parents: be sure to include information and requests for alternate stops or expected frequency changes on this form. Having this information as early in the year as possible will help us plan our routes accordingly. We may not be able to accommodate all requests but will do our best!
