Washington school bus drivers need an OSPI School Bus Driver Authorization under WAC 392-144, which requires completing a school bus driver training course taught by an OSPI-authorized instructor, on top of federal ELDT. ELDT365 handles the federal theory for $20 per course.
Issued by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Required to transport students in any school district or contracted bus.
WAC 392-144-101(3). The rule sets no hour number; OSPI's curriculum and your instructor set the length. Ask your ESD for the current course outline.
WAC 392-144-102: current first aid, medical certificate, and physical agility including the 25-second emergency door exit.
Required to maintain authorization; lapsed authorization means no student transport.
District and ESD instructors certified through OSPI's six-day Driver Instructor Training Course (ESD 112, NWESD and others host it).
Federal theory for B, P and S, done before or alongside the OSPI course, filed the same day. Districts like Mount Vernon pay trainees during classroom and BTW days; moving federal theory online is paid trainee hours you get back.
WAC 392-144-102, including exiting through the emergency door within 25 seconds.
Class B, Passenger and School Bus on ELDT365, filed the same day. Districts that pay trainees for classroom days get those hours back.
Length set by OSPI's curriculum, not by the WAC. Taught by an instructor certified through OSPI's six-day Driver Instructor Training Course at your district or ESD.
Your instructor's BTW is the federal BTW record under your registry listing. DOL checks the registry first.
A lapsed authorization means no student transport, so track the in-service date.
Class B, Passenger and School Bus are $20 each per driver. A driver who needs all three is $60; a Class B holder adding the two endorsements is $40. Washington fleets can put a card on file and be billed as they enroll, or prepay seats on a PO with a W-9 and a quote. No minimum and no contract. The federal explainer, pricing comparison and who-this-is-for detail are on the bus driver overview.
The OSPI school bus driver course and authorization satisfies Washington. It does not satisfy FMCSA. A driver getting a Class B, Passenger or School Bus endorsement for the first time since February 7, 2022 also needs a federal ELDT record from a provider on the Training Provider Registry before the WA skills test. The two records live in two different systems: the state training with OSPI Student Transportation, the ELDT with FMCSA.
OSPI-authorized school bus driver instructors at your district or ESD, certified through OSPI's Driver Instructor Training Course.
Annual in-service under WAC 392-144 to keep the authorization current. ELDT has no refresher.
It varies by district and ESD because OSPI's curriculum, not the WAC, sets the length, and instructors add district-specific content. Ask your ESD for the current course outline before you build a start date around it. Whatever the number, ELDT theory is outside it and done separately online.
DOL checks the FMCSA registry before the skills test. We file the same day the driver passes and enters their license number, state and DOB. Have drivers finish theory at least a couple of days before the skills test appointment so the record has time to sync.
Moves to us: the federal theory for Class B, Passenger and School Bus, and the FMCSA filing. Stays with you: the OSPI school bus driver course and authorization, behind-the-wheel, the physical, drug testing and background checks. Nothing about your Washington certificate changes.
Free school account, $20 per course per driver, filed to the FMCSA registry the same day. The OSPI school bus driver course and authorization stays exactly where it is.
Create a free school account See the full partner pageRelated: Partner program · Integrations · Seats · Cities and counties · Bus driver ELDT overview · School Bus course · Passenger course · Class B course