Driving Tests

Wyoming School Bus Stop Law: When to Stop and the $195 Minimum Fine

informational·how to guide·Published May 3, 2026

When must you stop for a school bus in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, stop before you reach a school bus that is stopped with its flashing red lights on, from either direction. Wait until the bus moves again or the lights go off. You need not stop when the bus is on the other roadway of a highway with separate roadways. A conviction brings a fine of $195 to $745 plus fees and costs.

Where the Wyoming school bus rules come from

The stop rule and its two exceptions are in W.S. 31-5-507, the fines are in W.S. 31-5-1201, the school bus definition is in W.S. 31-7-102 and the license suspension rules are in W.S. 31-7-129, all in the Wyoming Statutes, title 31. The road diagram and the list of required stops come from the WYDOT Rules of the Road Class C manual, 2021 edition; where the manual and the law use different words, this guide follows the law. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with the Wyoming Department of Transportation (dot.state.wy.us) before you drive.

What counts as a school bus in Wyoming

Wyoming's driver license law (W.S. 31-7-102) defines a school bus as a motor vehicle owned by, leased to or registered to a public school district, a private school or a carrier under contract to a school.
The bus takes children to or from school, or to school activities, and it is made to carry 16 or more passengers.
A bus that a common carrier runs to take school children is not a school bus under this definition.
Every school bus has plainly visible signs with the words "school bus" on the front and the rear, in letters at least 8 inches tall.

Do you have to stop? Check the road you are on

The bus is stopped with flashing red lights and you meet it or come up behind it on an undivided road, such as a two-lane or four-lane road

Stop before you reach the bus. On an undivided road, traffic in each direction stops.

You are on a highway with separate roadways, such as a divided highway with a median, and the bus is on the other roadway

You need not stop. Drivers on the same roadway as the bus must stop. The manual tells you to use extreme caution and watch for pedestrians as you go by.

You are on a controlled-access highway and the bus is stopped in a loading zone that is part of or next to the highway, where pedestrians may not cross the roadway

You need not stop. The law names this case and the separate-roadways case as the two cases where a driver need not stop.

How to stop for a Wyoming school bus

1
Watch for the flashing red lights
The bus driver turns on the flashing red lights when the bus stops to take on or let off school children in a designated loading area.
2
Stop before you reach the bus
Stop from either direction, unless one of the two exceptions above applies. Do not drive around the bus while the red lights flash.
3
Wait until the bus moves or the lights go off
Keep your vehicle stopped until the bus moves again or the flashing red lights go off. Either event ends the stop, and you may then drive on.

What a school bus driver must do when children get on or off

When a school bus stops to take on or let off children, its driver must keep the bus as far to the right of the roadway as reasonable. On a roadway with four or more lanes, a bus may not load or unload a child who would have to cross a lane, except at a crosswalk. The manual lists the school bus stop among the times that you must always stop, together with stops at stop signs and red traffic lights. The guide to four-way stops and roundabouts in Wyoming explains the stop sign rules.

Wyoming school bus fines

Wyoming school bus fines
Case	Who pays	Fine
First conviction for not stopping	The driver	$195 to $745 plus assessed fees and costs
Another conviction for the same violation within one year	The driver	$395 to $995 plus assessed fees and costs
The school bus camera records your vehicle and the driver is not known	The registered owner	$195

How the $195 minimum fine and the $195 owner fine differ

The $195 minimum belongs to a conviction of the driver: the court sets a fine from $195 to $745, plus assessed fees and costs. The law also adds a $5 police officer training fee to the fine and the court fees. The $195 owner fine is a different charge. It applies only when a bus video system records a vehicle and the driver is not known. Then the registered owner pays a fixed $195, and that fine is not a conviction under W.S. 31-5-1201.

How a school bus camera case works in Wyoming

Video from a camera system on a school bus is prima facie evidence of the facts in it: it counts as proof of what it shows unless someone proves otherwise.
A recorded image of a driver who did not stop can be used in a court or an administrative case to decide liability.
The owner can defend against the $195 fine by showing that the owner did not give express or implied consent to the person who drove the vehicle.
The owner can also defend against it by showing that the vehicle was sold or transferred to a new owner before the violation.

Practice the two school bus situations

Two Wyoming practice questions test the two road cases above: a school bus stopped across the median of a divided highway and a school bus that stops on a two-lane road with no median. Our practice tests and question pages are free and in English only.

Key takeaways

Stop before you reach a school bus with flashing red lights on, from either direction, and wait until it moves or the lights go off.
You need not stop when the bus is on a different roadway of a highway with separate roadways, or when it is in a loading zone on a controlled-access highway where pedestrians may not cross.
A conviction costs $195 to $745 plus fees and costs. Another conviction within one year costs $395 to $995 plus fees and costs.
If a bus camera records your vehicle and the driver is not known, the registered owner pays $195.
Next step: practice the rules of the road on the free Wyoming Class C practice test.

Wyoming school bus law: common questions

Can I pass a school bus with flashing red lights in Wyoming?

Not while the lights flash, unless one of two exceptions applies. The law lets you go by without a stop only when the bus is on a different roadway of a highway with separate roadways, or when it is in a loading zone on a controlled-access highway where pedestrians may not cross. In all other cases, stop and wait until the bus moves or the lights go off.

Is it a misdemeanor to pass a stopped school bus in Wyoming?

Yes. Not stopping for a school bus with flashing red lights breaks W.S. 31-5-507(a), and a violation of the Wyoming traffic act is a misdemeanor. A first conviction brings a fine of $195 to $745 plus assessed fees and costs. Another conviction within one year brings $395 to $995, and a $5 training fee is added.

Do I stop for a school bus on a four-lane road in Wyoming?

On an undivided four-lane road, yes: traffic in each direction stops when a school bus stops with its flashing red lights on. On a highway with separate roadways, you need not stop if the bus is on the other roadway. Drivers on the same roadway as the bus must stop and wait until it moves or the lights go off.

Can a school bus ticket get my license suspended in Wyoming?

Under W.S. 31-7-129, the driver license division of WYDOT may suspend a license for up to 12 months when the driver is a repeated violator, shown by a record of moving violations, accidents or other evidence. It may also suspend for a missed court date after a traffic citation. The $195 camera fine to an owner is not a moving violation for this purpose.

Does a school bus always turn on its red lights when children get on or off?

On a public road, yes. The driver must turn on the red signals whenever the bus is stopped to take on or let off school children in a designated loading area. A school board may waive this only when the bus is not on a public roadway and the board finds that the safety of children is not put at risk.