Montana Code Annotated
Part 1. School Buses and Transportation
20-10-141. Schedule of maximum reimbursement by mileage rates

20-10-141. Schedule of maximum reimbursement by mileage rates. (1) The mileage rates in subsection (2) for school transportation constitute the maximum reimbursement to districts for school transportation from state and county sources of transportation revenue under the provisions of 20-10-145 and 20-10-146. These rates may not limit the amount that a district may budget in its transportation fund budget in order to provide for the estimated and necessary cost of school transportation during the ensuing school fiscal year. All bus miles traveled on bus routes approved by the county transportation committee are reimbursable. Nonbus mileage is reimbursable for a vehicle driven by a bus driver to and from an overnight location of a school bus when the location is more than 10 miles from the school. A district may approve additional bus or nonbus miles within its own district or approved service area but may not claim reimbursement for the mileage. Any vehicle, the operation of which is reimbursed for bus mileage under the rate provisions of this schedule, must be a school bus, as defined by this title, driven by a qualified driver on a bus route approved by the county transportation committee and the superintendent of public instruction.
(2) (a) The rate for each bus mile traveled must be determined in accordance with the following schedule:
(i) 50 cents for a school bus as defined in 20-10-101(4)(a)(ii);
(ii) 95 cents for a school bus with a rated capacity of not more than 49 passenger seating positions;
(iii) $1.15 for a school bus with a rated capacity of 50 to 59 passenger seating positions;
(iv) $1.36 for a school bus with a rated capacity of 60 to 69 passenger seating positions;
(v) $1.57 for a school bus with a rated capacity of 70 to 79 passenger seating positions; and
(vi) $1.80 for a school bus with 80 or more passenger seating positions.
(b) Nonbus mileage, as provided in subsection (1), must be reimbursed at a rate of 50 cents a mile.
(3) The rated capacity is the number of passenger seating positions of a school bus as determined under the policy adopted by the board of public education. If modification of a school bus to accommodate pupils with disabilities reduces the rated capacity of the bus, the reimbursement to a district for pupil transportation is based on the rated capacity of the bus prior to modification.
(4) The number of pupils riding the school bus may not exceed the passenger seating positions of the bus.
History: En. 75-7018 by Sec. 295, Ch. 5, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 469, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 22, Ch. 266, L. 1977; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 529, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 75-7018; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 590, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 454, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 515, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 559, L. 1983; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 344, L. 1985; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 711, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 298, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 10, Ch. 550, L. 2003; amd. Sec. 3, Ch. 221, L. 2017.

Structure Montana Code Annotated

Montana Code Annotated

Title 20. Education

Chapter 10. Transportation and Food Services

Part 1. School Buses and Transportation

20-10-101. Definitions

20-10-102. School bus requirements

20-10-103. School bus driver qualifications

20-10-104. Penalty for violating law or rules

20-10-105. Determination of residence

20-10-106. Determination of mileage distances

20-10-107. Power of trustees

20-10-108. Two-way radio operation

20-10-109. Liability insurance for school bus

20-10-110. School bus purchase -- contract -- bids

20-10-111. Duties of board of public education

20-10-112. Duties of superintendent of public instruction

20-10-113. through 20-10-120 reserved

20-10-121. Duty of trustees to provide transportation -- types of transportation -- bus riding time limitation

20-10-122. Discretionary provision of transportation and payment for this transportation

20-10-123. Provision of transportation for nonpublic school children

20-10-124. Private party contract for transportation -- individual transportation contract

20-10-125. Bid letting for contract bus -- payments under transportation contract

20-10-126. Establishment of transportation service areas

20-10-127. Repealed

20-10-128. Repealed

20-10-129. Transportation for special activities

20-10-130. reserved

20-10-131. County transportation committee membership

20-10-132. Duties of county transportation committee

20-10-133. through 20-10-140 reserved

20-10-141. Schedule of maximum reimbursement by mileage rates

20-10-142. Schedule of maximum reimbursement for individual transportation

20-10-143. Budgeting for transportation and transmittal of transportation contracts

20-10-144. Computation of revenue and net tax levy requirements for district transportation fund budget

20-10-145. State transportation reimbursement

20-10-146. County transportation reimbursement

20-10-147. Bus depreciation reserve fund

20-10-148. Cost-effectiveness analysis required before purchase of small school bus