The camp day begins as soon as a camper gets on the bus in the morning. Bus spirit is promoted by the Bus Captain, who leads the group in making up songs, skits and raps to perform for all our enjoyment at Opening Circle. Spirit Pom-Poms are given out each Friday to the bus groups showing the most spirit.

Each camper is picked up and dropped off at the same address and rides the same bus every day of his or her entire camp session.

We take the safe transportation of our campers very seriously. Our many years of experience have shown that the consistency of using the same bus and bus stop is the only way we can ensure that each camper is brought safely to camp and home again each day.

The bus stop a camper uses is taken directly from the camper's registration. Please call the office by June 10th if you wish to change your youngster's bus stop. If your camper is staying with a friend or relative during the summer, please check with the person who will be bringing your camper to and from the bus stop so that any bus stop change can be made by June 10th. Once bus postcards have been mailed and the routes have been set, it is usually not possible to make any changes.

Need several bus stops? Parents who need to utilize a variety of bus stops can send their camper to CampPlus. CampPlus can accommodate changes in afternoon bus stops and parents can select them on the CampPlus form.

At Roughing It, the camp day begins on the bus. Campers who miss this time also miss the chance to be part of the bus group and bus spirit. In addition, because our staff has assigned morning duties, there is no guarantee that anyone would be available to supervise campers who arrive separate from their bus group. So, for your camper's enjoyment and safety, we ask that all campers arrive at and depart from the Reservoir on our camp buses.

If a camper must come late to camp or be picked up early, we ask that parents set their schedules so that the camper's time at Roughing It is disrupted as little as possible. We ask that parents bring a camper to camp during Opening Circle (between 9:00-9:20am) so he or she can easily join his or her camper group. We also ask parents whose campers must leave early to pick their camper up during Closing Circle (between 2:40-3:00pm).

1. Sit facing the front with your feet on the ground.
2. Wear a seat belt at all times.
3. Keep your hands to yourself and be respectful to others.
4. Use considerate language.
5. Be an enthusiastic and active participant.
6. Use low voices in the bus.
7. Follow the staff’s instructions.
8. No eating/drinking on the bus.
9. Sharp objects, like pencils, are not appropriate to have out on the bus.
10. Music devices are not allowed at camp.
11. Failure to follow the bus rules could result in the camper losing the privilege to ride the bus.
12. Lock your seat belt buckles together after you get up from your seat to exit.

1. Parents need to supervise their campers at the bus stop unless the camper has permission for an unsupervised drop-off on file at Roughing It. If you need to authorize your camper for an unsupervised drop-off, please contact our office.
2. Campers with unsupervised drop-off must behave in a controlled and considerate manner and must follow the direction of parents waiting with other campers.
3. Campers with unsupervised drop off who misbehave or who do not follow the direction of parents will lose their unsupervised drop-off privilege.
4. Campers may not play games in the street, driveways, or on the sidewalk.
5. Campers and parents must respect the private property of the neighbors at their bus stop.

Organizing the safe transportation of campers to and from camp on the buses has become a primary trademark of Roughing It for over three decades. Our experience has shown that we can successfully and safely manage busing only if there is consistency in the routes and the campers on each bus. Therefore campers need to use the same bus and at the same bus stop for their entire session. While we are glad that campers make new friends, we are unable to make bus changes so that campers can go home together after camp, even for a single day. We ask that parents take the responsibility for organizing "outside-of-camp" social times for their campers. Campers can change their afternoon bus stops and drop-off time by attending CampPlus activities.

Several different buses may serve the same city. Therefore, parents need to prepare their campers to ride the bus on their own and not expect automatically to be with friends who live in the same area. The Bus Captain helps new campers become a part of the Bus Group. If parents wish their camper to be with another camper or if parents are carpooling, please let us know by June 1 so we can try to accommodate you.

Times for Centralized Express Bus Stops
Campers who are picked up at the centralized pick-up spots will be sent postcards the week before camp giving the exact times for pick-up and drop-off.

Times for Home Pick-Ups
Campers who are picked up at home should be ready the first day at 8:00 am for a pick-up between 8:00am and 9:00am. Likewise, expect your camper to be delivered home between 3:00pm and 4:00pm on that day. The week before camp begins we will email or mail you with a 10 minute window that we except the bus to get to your house.

Requests for Certain Times at Home Stops
The time a camper is picked up and dropped off by his or her bus at home is determined by where the home fits into the total bus route. Each bus route is laid out in the safest and most efficient manner possible. If you need your camper to be picked up or dropped off at a particular time, we recommend using one of the bus stops in your area or Breakfast Club and/or CampPlus. Parents can discuss this with us at the time of registration.

Parents who need earlier or later bus stops than our standard schedule will find that Breakfast Club, our before-camp program in Lafayette beginning at 7:00 am, and CampPlus, our after camp program, can meet their needs.

CampPlus campers may designate a different bus stop for CampPlus from their regular bus schedule. This choice can be made on the CampPlus registration forms.

Please help your camper to be a "Curbstoner" by having him or her ready and outside on the curb or the front porch a few minutes before the bus is due. The current record for a bus Curbstoner is 19 days in a row! See if your camper can match the record!

The Bus will not wait at a bus stop after the official bus time. At home pick-ups, Bus Captains will check at the front door and then leave. If you only miss the bus by a minute, and you know the location of the next bus stop, you can drive your camper to the next stop. If you can't catch the bus, call us and drive your camper to the far left side of the Lafayette Reservoir. You may either leave your camper with a counselor or walk them up to Opening Circle; please do not allow campers to be at camp unattended.

The bus is not able to wait past the official bus time for a parent or guardian who is late to the bus stop. The Bus Captain will contact the office and the bus will continue to the next stop with the camper staying on board (unless the camper has permission for an unsupervised drop-off, in which case he or she will be let off the bus to wait for a parent or guardian). Usually parents are able to meet their camper at one of the next bus stops.

Parents who are unable to pick up their camper by the time the bus route is over will be charged a late fee of $2.00/minute up to five minutes. If the parent is still unable to pick up the camper after five minutes, Roughing It will transport the camper to CampPlus. The fee for the "wait" transportation time and the CampPlus activity will be charged to the parent. If a child is taken to CampPlus, we must speak with a parent to confirm the camper's CampPlus bus stop and drop-off time.

Every Bus has a Roughing It Bus Captain who carries a Nextel in order to be in constant communication with our Transportation Coordinator and Office regarding any changes in times or an emergency situation on the Bus. The Transportation Coordinator and our Office will contact the parent or caregiver to relay the pertinent information to them in a timely manner.