Since we started providing services, the landscape of coach bus transportation has changed significantly. New safety regulations, increased scrutiny from federal and state agencies, and with the growing number of high-profile incidents, over the past few years, involving driver and passenger safety have led to major shifts in how transportation services are insured and operated.
As a result, the insurance requirements and liability obligations for programs like College Bus have grown more complex and costly, even for organizations like Open Access that do not own or operate the vehicles directly. Simply serving as the logistical coordinator introduces exposure to legal and financial risk, especially when coordinating transportation for students. Insurers now expect rigorous documentation, advanced safety equipment, and formal oversight protocols that are typically managed by larger commercial transportation companies.
These changes have placed a disproportionate burden on smaller, mission-driven organizations. While we remain deeply committed to providing access to transportation as part of our educational mission, we recognize that continuing to manage the operational side of College Bus directly is no longer the most effective or sustainable role for us to play.
As a result, we are transitioning logistics operations to Breakliner Bus by Home Town Tours, a professional, fully insured transportation provider that already partners with the University of Scranton and shares our commitment to student safety and access. This transition ensures that students will continue to receive reliable, compliant, and safe service.
Going forward, CollegeBus as Open Access will focus on the part of the mission we’re best positioned to champion: raising funds and securing sponsorships to reduce or eliminate the cost of transportation for students. By narrowing our focus and working with a trusted operational partner, we can continue to remove financial barriers without taking on administrative burdens that now require full-time commercial infrastructure.
If you or your student are interested in helping us reach our goal of making transportation truly accessible to all, we invite you to get involved through fundraising or volunteering. We would especially love to work with any marketing students who may need internship hours or would like to volunteer to assist in making transportation available and affordable to the students at the University.
You will receive an email with a QR code when you purchase your ticket. This QR code may be needed for checkin along with your college ID.
No, Seats are provided on a first come, first served basis.
The bus will leave promptly at the scheduled time. Please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time to check in and get your seat on the bus.
Yes, all students may bring a bag under 40 lbs along with a small carry-on tote or backpack onboard. Please remember that the student will have to carry the bag back to/from their dorm room.
Can a non student take the bus?
Buses are reserved for student use only. All Students will will need to show their college identification in order to board the bus.
Can I return / transfer my ticket
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable
No, CollegeBus is a project of Open Access, a 501(c)3 public charity. Our objective is to provide safe, secure, student-only transportation for those in need. We save parents from having to make the trip back and forth and so that families can spend more time with their student during the breaks rather than driving them to and from Campus. All of the monies collected have been used to further this objective with any excess being provided to students who demonstrate need.
With oversight by Open Access, a scholarship fund was established to offer scholarships to students in need. We also learned that a number of students were unable to go home on breaks because their family didn't have the time or means to bring them home. If you know of a student who can't go home during a break or a family who is in need of assistance please email us at [email protected] so that we may provide them with assistance. To make a donation scroll down below.
We are hopeful that we will collect enough donations to cover the costs associated with the buses. In the event that a specific bus reaches capacity, we will add additional buses. We will do everything within our power to ensure that buses that we commit to performing are run as planned. In the unlikely event that we cannot cover the costs of the bus, the parents and students will be notified 72 hours before that the bus will not be running and that any tickets may be applied to a future trip.
You will see a credit card charge from College Bus, CB or Open Access depending on the credit card processor. Open Access is the non profit project that College Bus is part of.
Please use the box to the right to make a donation. You can choose to sponsor a students round trip or one way transportation to and from school or a choose your own amount. To choose your own amount select the ticket type and type the amount you would like to donate in the donation field. When checking out you can leave a comment specifying if you would like the donation to go towards a bus ride or the scholarship fund.
Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] for more inofrmation or to make a direct donation