Transportation Responsibilities

Shared transportation should be listed in your guidelines.

Transportation
The receiving/non-receiving parent does transportation on the regular parenting plan.

Transporting Parent
1.  Parent shall not be substantially early or late on pick-up or drop-off of child.
2.  Parent shall call the other parent if delay on pick-up or drop-off is going to be over 15 minutes.
3.  Parent shall stay with vehicle and non-transporting parent shall stay with residence, on exchanges.

Receiving Parent Transporting
The receiving parent does transportation on the regular parenting plan.
This option is good when child is not staying the night and traveling back to the other parent’s residence.

Non-Receiving Parent Transporting
The non-receiving parent does transportation on the regular parenting plan.
This option is good when the parent who has child overnight takes child to school/childcare in the morning.

Unscheduled/Vacation Transportation Responsibilities
Unscheduled:  Parent taking any unscheduled time is responsible for all transportation.
Vacation: Vacationing parent shall do transportation on end of vacations if time ends on a non-regular day.

Shared Transportation
1.  Will not over burden one parent.
2.  Will remove the stigma that one parent is just a “visiting” parent.
3.  Will help ensure the children of further contact with the other parent.
4.  Will discourage one parent from trying to alienate the other parent from the children.
5.  Will not give one parent the belief that they “own” the children and can move as they please.
 
Example - No Shared Transportation
If you agree to do all the transportation and later, your ex-spouse moves a significant distance from you, many hours of your parenting time will be spent on the road.  Also, you need to consider the cost of the transporting child to your residence and than the cost of transporting the child back to the other parent.

Parenting Plan: 2/12
1^st  Week: Tues. & Thurs. 5pm to 8pm.
2^nd Week: Tues. 5pm to 8pm & Fri. 5pm till Sun. 8pm.

Travel Necessary
Using Plan 2/12 as an example, with a distance of 30 miles between homes.

Miles Traveled/Visit: = 30miles pick-up + 30miles back home + 30miles drop-off + 30miles back home
                                          = 120miles/visit

1^st  Week: 2 midweek trips   (120miles/trip x 2 trips = 240miles/week)
2^nd Week: 1 midweek trip + weekend trip  (120miles/trip x 2 trips = 240miles/week)

Total Miles Traveled Per Month: 240miles/week x 4weeks = 960 miles per month

Monthly Transportation Cost                                                   Monthly Lost Parenting Time                            
Cost/Month = miles/month x cost/mile                               Lost Time = miles/month / miles/hour
                         = 960miles/month x $.31 per mile                                      = 960miles/month / 60miles/hour
                         = $297.60 per month                                                              = 16 hours/month

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