Transportation
Bus service from the East Bay, San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Tri Valley.
Professional drivers and adult counselors on every bus.
Summer Transportation
Roughing It offers transportation to camp from select central bus stops or you can choose to pick up and drop off at the Lafayette Reservoir.
Central Bus Stops
Parents can choose from one of the central bus stops listed below. We send out bus times the week before the session.
Bus times may vary from session to session, and we may need to add or cancel bus stops based on enrollment and demand. We will notify you of any changes.
Buses pick up between 7:50-8:50am and drop off 3:10-4:10 pm. We will send exact times the week before your camp session. Contact us if you need a closer estimate of time.
Pick Up and Drop Off at Camp
Parents can choose pick up and drop off at the Lafayette Reservoir instead of taking the bus. This option includes free extended care and flexible pick up/drop off during designated times. Morning drop off is between 8:00-8:40am and afternoon pick up between 3:10-4:00pm. For more info, see Reservoir Drop Off Procedures
Lamorinda & Contra Costa County
- Lafayette: Bentley School
- Lafayette: Lafayette Elementary (School St Side)
- Lafayette: Acalanes High School
- Moraga: Rheem Shopping Center
- Orinda: Glorietta Elementary
- Orinda: CitiBank (Orinda Way)
- Pleasant Hill: Walgreens (Gregory Lane)
- Walnut Creek: CVS off Olympic
San Francisco
- Haight: Clayton & Parnassus
- Hayes Valley: French American Intl. School (Oak St)
- Noe Valley: Douglass Playground
East Bay
- Alameda: Park St Landing
- Berkeley: Arlington & Mendocino
- Berkeley: Star Grocery Market
- Kensington: Kensington Library
- Oakland: Broadway Terrace & Country Club Dr
- Oakland: Mandana & Carlston (By Crocker Highlands School)
- Oakland: Montclair Tennis Courts
- Piedmont: Havens School (Bonita Ave)
Tri Valley
- Alamo: Stone Valley CVS
- Danville: Black Bear Diner
- San Ramon: Bollinger Central Park (By Skatepark)
Bus Counselors On Every Bus
Each bus has at least two bus counselors on board who take role, supervise campers, and ensure campers follow the bus rules. They make the bus ride fun by leading activities, and they help make campers feel welcomed by assigning bus buddies. All captains are in constant communication with our camp office by phone to relay any bus delays, absences, and in case of emergency.
Bus Spirit Makes the Bus Ride Fun!
A Roughing It tradition is Bus Spirit, where all campers on the bus take part in performing songs and skits at opening circle. Campers get to be creative, work together, and show off their camp spirit to the rest of camp! At the end of the week bus groups with great bus spirit receive Spirit PomPoms awards, and the most spirited bus wins the famous Golden PomPom!
Professional Bus Drivers
All Roughing It buses are driven by professional bus drivers who drive year-round for schools. Most drivers enjoy coming back year after year and become part of our camp family.
Special Pick Up and Drop Off at Camp
If you need to pick up or drop off your camper during camp, please contact our camp office to schedule this arrangement, no later than 8:00am the morning of. Because campers are at different activity sites during the day, they may miss some activity time to be ready to pick up when you arrive.
We ask that parents avoid picking up or dropping off during opening circle (9:00-9:30am) or closing circle (2:10-3:10pm).
Please plan ahead: you will need to park and walk up to the camp site when picking up or dropping off your camper.
One Bus Stop per Session
For camp safety, campers need to use the same bus stop for the full two-week session. We are unable to accommodate changes to a camper’s bus stop during the session.
Authorized Release and Unsupervised Drop Off
Roughing It will release campers only to persons on your authorized adult release list. Please add any babysitters, relatives, and carpool families to this list. This list can be managed through your online account.
If you want your camper to be dropped off without an authorized adult present, you can do so through when signing up your camper, or by contacting us. Campers must be eight years or older to have unsupervised drop off.
Communication
Every bus has two or more bus counselors who carry a phone and are in constant communication with the camp office if there are delays or in an emergency situation. If the bus is running more than 10 minutes late, we will text you with an estimated time of arrival. In an emergency, we will contact you by phone/text immediately. You can call our office at 925-283-3795 at any time to get the status of the bus.
What happens if I'm late to the bus?
To keep on schedule, the bus needs to move on to the next stop once campers have boarded at the designated time. If you are running late, call our office at 925-283-3795 so we can provide you directions to the next stop. We will attempt to call you before the bus leaves, in case you are just steps away. If you miss the bus in the afternoon, your camper will remain on board and under the supervision of our bus counselors.
Bus Safety Guidelines for Parents & Campers
- 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.
- Campers with unsupervised drop-off must behave in a controlled and considerate manner and must follow the direction of parents waiting with other campers.
- Campers with unsupervised drop off who misbehave or who do not follow the direction of parents will lose their unsupervised drop-off privilege.
- Campers may not play games in the street, driveways, or on the sidewalk.
- Campers and parents must respect private property and be considerate of their neighbors and the public at the bus stop.
Bus Rules
- Sit facing the front with your feet on the ground.
- Wear a seat belt at all times.
- Keep your hands to yourself and be respectful to others.
- Use considerate language.
- Be an enthusiastic and active participant.
- Use low voices in the bus.
- Follow the staff instructions.
- No eating/drinking on the bus.
- Sharp objects, like pencils, are not appropriate to have out on the bus.
- Music devices are not allowed at camp.
- Failure to follow the bus rules could result in the camper losing the privilege to ride the bus.
- Lock your seat belt buckles together after you get up from your seat to exit.
Car Seats for Young Campers
Roughing It does not use car or booster seats on our buses for small children. Due to the extra federal safety standards that school buses must meet, our school buses are very safe for transporting small children. Our type of bus requires a car seat only if a child is under 25 pounds. At this time, we are unable to accommodate transporting of children under this weight. Visit the transportation safety section of our website for more details about the safety of school buses.
Additional Bus Information and Policies
Car Seats and Very Young Campers
Roughing It does not use car or booster seats on our buses for small children. Due to the extra federal safety standards that school buses must meet, our school buses are very safe for transporting small children. Our type of bus requires a car seat only if a child is under 25 pounds. At this time, we are unable to accommodate transporting of children under this weight. Visit the transportation safety section of our website for more details about the safety of school buses.
Communication about the Daily Bus Route
Every bus has a Roughing It Bus Captain who carries a phone 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.
In the event a bus is running more than 10 minutes late, we will reach you by email or phone. In an emergency, we will contact you by phone immediately. Please understand that we may be delayed in reaching you if there is a major traffic delay affecting more than one of our bus routes. You can call our office at 925-283-3795 at any time to get the status of your bus.
What Happens if a Parent is Late to the Bus?
The bus cannot usually wait past the drop off time for an authorized adult who is late to the bus stop, as there are other stops further down the bus route and the bus has a schedule to keep. If you are running late, contact the office as early as possible so we can determine where the bus is and where you should go to pick up your child. If the bus heads to the next stop with your child and we have not heard from you, we will attempt to call you and give you directions to the next stop. We will NEVER leave your camper unattended at a bus stop unless we have received prior written permission from you authorizing unsupervised drop off at that designated stop.
Parents who are unable to pick up their camper by the time the bus route is over may 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.
Missing the Morning Bus
The Bus will not normally wait at a bus stop after the official bus time. At home pick ups, Bus Counselor will ring the front door and leave if no one comes. If you barely miss the bus, call our office at 925-283-3795 and we will direct you to the next stop. If you can’t catch the bus, call us and drive your camper to the Lafayette Reservoir. Either leave your camper with a counselor or walk them up to Opening Circle; please do not drop off your camper at the reservoir unattended.
Safety Guidelines for Parents & Campers
- 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.
- Campers with unsupervised drop-off must behave in a controlled and considerate manner and must follow the direction of parents waiting with other campers.
- Campers with unsupervised drop off who misbehave or who do not follow the direction of parents will lose their unsupervised drop-off privilege.
- Campers may not play games in the street, driveways, or on the sidewalk.
- Campers and parents must respect private property and be considerate of their neighbors and the public at the bus stop.
Bus Rules
- Sit facing the front with your feet on the ground.
- Wear a seat belt at all times.
- Keep your hands to yourself and be respectful to others.
- Use considerate language.
- Be an enthusiastic and active participant.
- Use low voices in the bus.
- Follow the staff instructions.
- No eating/drinking on the bus.
- Sharp objects, like pencils, are not appropriate to have out on the bus.
- Music devices are not allowed at camp.
- Failure to follow the bus rules could result in the camper losing the privilege to ride the bus.
- Lock your seat belt buckles together after you get up from your seat to exit.
