Pupil Transportation
The Pupil Transportation Section ensures that school children in the State of Tennessee are transported safely to and from school and school-related activities. There are approximately 9,500 school buses that Pupil Transportation inspects.
Each year, Pupil Transportation provides mandatory four hour driver safety training. Failure of attendance to this annually required training will result in a public school bus driver losing their S endorsement.
School buses are inspected, at a minimum, annually and biannually for older buses in an extended use program. These inspections will continue for the life of the buses until removed from operation. Random inspections of buses are conducted throughout the year to ensure they are properly maintained.
The Pupil Transportation Section conducts an average of approximately 17,000 bus inspections annually. These duties are performed by state troopers and civilian personnel assigned to the eight Tennessee Highway Patrol Districts.
For the Motorist Violation Report, download the PDF.
Click here to download the Certificate of Eligibility – School Bus (S) Endorsement (Form 2C).
Contact Information
Pupil Transportation Section
Tennessee Highway Patrol
1150 Foster Ave
Nashville, TN 37243
(615) 743-4990
PAAMS System
The Pupil Transportation Section has implemented the new PAAMS inspection system. This system has combined the inspections and child care. All bus information must now be electronically submitted through the PAAMS system. Access will be granted to school systems, bus owners/contractors, and day cares. The school systems that have elected to manage all the buses for their schools will be responsible for all submissions for that school system and access will not be granted to any bus owners/contractors within that school system.
Requesting Access to the PAAMS System
In order to request access to the PAAMS system, the user will need to send an e-mail with their name, the name of their school system/day care, and their contact information to Pupil.Transportation@tn.gov. Once this information is received, the Pupil Transportation Section will send a reply with a link to set up an account, the link for the bus inspection site, and two attachments explaining the process for setting up an account.
Adding New Buses to the PAAMS System
All new buses must be submitted electronically through the PAAMS system by the school system, bus owner/contractor, or day care. Once the bus information has been electronically submitted, the user must e-mail a copy of one of the following to Pupil.Transportation@tn.gov:
Certificate of Origin
Original Title
Tennessee Title
Tennessee Registration
These documents are required in order to verify all information that has been submitted. If these forms are not e-mailed to the above account, the Pupil Transportation Section cannot approve a bus for use. Once a bus has been approved for use, the bus will appear in the inspector’s queue informing them that an inspection is required.
Request for Extended Utilization
Instructions and Necessary Forms for Extended Utilization
All requests for extended utilization are now processed electronically through the PAAMS system.
Once a bus reaches its 16th year of use as determined by the in- service date, it will automatically appear in the Extended Utilization window of the user’s PAAMS account. At this time, the user should request extended utilization for the bus through this window. This will automatically put the bus out for approval for extended utilization. Also, the extended utilization form will automatically generate.
Payments can now be remitted via two options. Both options 1 and 2 will require the request for extended utilization via the PAAMS system.
Option 1: Online payment, the user should ensure that all information on the extended utilization form is correct. Payment will need to be submitted. The user will print the extended utilization form and email it to pupil.transportation@tn.gov
Payment will be completed at:
https://paydirect.link2gov.com/TN_Safety_Payment_Portal
Option 2: Payment to cashiers office will require the user to ensure that all information on the extended utilization form is correct and shall submit the form along with payment (check, money order or cashier’s check) of $385.00 for one inspection or $770 for two inspections to the Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s cashier’s office.
Please ensure that the required Extended Utilization request is submitted each with payment to be processed.
Cashier’s Office
P.O. Box 24589
Nashville, TN 37202
All payments must be processed via option 1 or option 2. The Pupil Transportation Section is not authorized to accept any payments. Once the Pupil Transportation Section has received a receipt of payment the request will be approved and made available for inspection.
Please contact the Pupil Transportation Section if one of the following situations arises:
1. When entering a new bus, an error message appears stating that the bus is already in the system.
2. A change to the tag number or bus number is required.
3. The manufacturer or owner of the bus is not listed.
4. The VIN number, in service date or body build date is incorrect as listed.
Please contact the Department of Safety Help Desk at (629) 888-5870 or 1-888-890-8183 if one of the following situations arises:
1. The individual originally granted access to the system vacates their position and another individual requires access.
2. Any issues with forgotten passwords or usernames.
3. The user has been locked out of the system.