Transportation Updates
See what's new in student transportation for this school year.
Transportation Information
In accordance with Chancellor’s Regulation A-801 (see below for regulation with translations) , the DOE provides transportation to all eligible New York City students in public, charter, and non-public schools. In partnership with the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and our school age and preschool bus companies, our mission is to ensure safe and reliable transportation to and from school.
See Transportation Rights for what you and your child can expect from DOE transportation services.
See Transportation Guide for a summarized introduction to transportation options, eligibility, and more.
Get Your Child's Bus Information
District and charter school parents: Sign up for your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) to view information on your child’s transportation services and busing information.
Your school can provide you with your child's student ID.
Non-public school parents: Please contact your school to get information about your child’s bus information.
DOE employees: visit Student Profile for student school and bus information or see Transportation Resources for Schools on the InfoHub for additional information.
Note: Access to the Student Transportation Search page is no longer available.
Why is the Bus Late?
Sometimes buses are delayed because of traffic congestion or mechanical failure. Check our bus delays page to see if your child's route has been affected.
Types of Transportation Service
Transportation services that are available to families vary by school and by each child’s eligibility for those services. Speak with your school if you have questions about the available options.
- At minimum, schools will provide student MetroCards/OMNY cards to eligible students
- Schools may also offer stop-to-school bus service if sufficient students meet busing eligibility criteria
- Curb-to-school or specialized bus service is provided to students whose medical, health, or disability-related conditions or special circumstances prevent them from being able to walk or utilize other forms of transportation to get to and from school.
Student OMNY Card
4-Trip student OMNY cards will be replacing student MetroCards. Student OMNY cards are provided at no cost to eligible students and can be used on MTA subways and buses (including Select Bus Service).
Student OMNY cards are different from regular OMNY cards. A student OMNY card will have 4 trips and 4 transfers, and work at any time of the day, 7 days of the week.
Stop-to-School Bus Service
School bus transportation refers to picking up and dropping off one or more students at designated bus stops. To use this service, your school must participate in the bus program and your child must be eligible.
Contact your school for more information on school bus service.
Curb-to-School or Specialized Bus Service
This type of transportation utilizes vehicles that are equipped to meet the transportation accommodations listed on a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Accommodations Plan and have a trained driver and an attendant on-board. Curb-to-school specialized bus services pick up and drop off the student at the safest locations near the student's home.
- Students in grades K-12 with an IEP that recommends curb-to-school transportation
- Students in grades K-12 with a 504 Accommodations Plan that lists curb-to-school transportation as a required service
- Students in grades K-12 with a medical exception approved by the Office of Pupil Transportation
Certain transportation accommodations must be reviewed and approved by the Office of School Health prior to being arranged.
See Transportation Rights for additional information.
Guidance for Rideshare and General Reimbursement during School Year 2024-25
Eligibility for Transportation
Transportation eligibility is based on a student’s grade level, walking distance between home and school, and existing accommodations based on Individualized Education Plan (IEP), 504 Plan, a medical condition, housing status, or safety assessment.
Rideshare is only available for the following populations in specific circumstances highlighted below:
- Students with Disabilities who have transportation recommended on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 Accommodation Plan (504) receiving curb to school transportation or have an approved medical exception from the Office of Pupil Transportation.
- Students in Temporary Housing or Foster Care who are eligible for and have elected to receive yellow bus service, including students in shelters, domestic violence shelters, families living with others due to economic or financial hardship (doubled-up), and students transitioning to permanent housing.
Eligible students would qualify for rideshare during the following circumstances:
- Route out of service due to driver absence
- Delays in route assignment
- IEP accommodations not in place – i.e. paraprofessionals and/or nurse absence
If the bus route is active and none of the above circumstances are present, a student is NOT eligible for rideshare and families will NOT be reimbursed.
These eligibility requirements are applicable to both use of the NYCPS’s contract to pay for rideshare as well as private rideshare arrangements.
Booking NYCPS Contracted Payment Rideshare
The NYCPS strongly recommends using the NYCPS’s contract to pay for rideshare to save families the responsibility of having to utilize their own funds and wait for reimbursement. If a family needs help creating a LimoSys account or needs other technical support, they should contact their child’s school.
If a family wants to check on the status of a ride, they should contact LimoSys by phone at 212-426-8000. Families who can’t access the internet and want to book a trip over the phone can also call LimoSys at 212-426-8000. LimoSys can provide support in English and Spanish. We encourage families to use the LimoSys rideshare website if they can — families who call may experience longer wait times.
- To book a ride families can book directly through the Tripslink website or contact 212-426-8000.
- Schools will provide voucher codes for families to use to book rideshare.
- Families will be able to book two trips totaling four rides a day with the single voucher code. Families will be able to book a ride to school in the AM, as well as from the school to their next stop; and to the school for pickup in AM, as well as the ride from school to home.
- Families must use the school address as both the destination of the ride to pick up their child AND as the starting point for their ride home. The ride can only be booked from the school address as the start or end point of the ride.
Reimbursement for Private Ride-share Arrangements
Families should follow the reimbursement instructions issued by the NYCPS and file the NYCPS reimbursement form attached to this guidance after making private ride-share transportation arrangements. Requests for reimbursement must show each day transportation was provided, the child for whom transportation was provided, and the cost thereof. Reimbursement requests can be submitted through ServiceNow.
NYCPS will reimburse a maximum of $100 per student per trip (up to 2 rides as described above) in the morning and in the afternoon, for a total maximum of $200 round trip per day. This cost may be used to cover all stops during that trip, including picking up and dropping off chaperones when the student is not in the vehicle.
Families should additionally submit documentation of the amount incurred; (I.e., electronic invoices, PDFs, or pictures of receipts) to be successfully reimbursed. This documentation must include:
- Transportation vendor name
- Trip details (i.e.: to and from which locations)
- Total cost
The NYCPS is not responsible for reimbursement for tax or tip incurred. Without these details, no reimbursement will be provided.
Reimbursement will only be provided for actual trips taken to/from school. No reimbursement will be provided for days on which school is closed or the student is not in attendance. Reimbursement documentation requirements are included in the reimbursement section below.
With respect to chaperones’ travel, NYCPS reimbursement for the trip will cover:
- For parents serving as chaperones, and chaperones who are “trusted parties” and live in the same household as the parent and child:
- for trips taking the child from home to school: drop off chaperone at the child’s place of residence, or the chaperone’s workplace
- for trips taking the child from school to home: pick up chaperone at the child’s place of residence, or the chaperone’s workplace
- For chaperones who are trusted parties and don’t live in the same household as the foster parent and child: pick up at the chaperone’s residence or workplace, and drop off at the chaperone’s residence or workplace
- Note that, absent an exception, the chaperone must have one workplace and/or one residence location on file with the foster care agency and may only be dropped off, or picked up at, those locations. Reimbursement for trips to/from other locations will not be made.
Families should consider the following when selecting companies/services to use:
- Arranging Rides: whether a service can arrange/route transportation for multiple children on an ongoing basis so reservations don’t have to be made each time the child needs a ride to and from school.
- Billing: whether a service can provide a single bill for all children who are transported, broken down by date of transportation and to/from addresses; whether the service has billing terms that are agreeable to the agency (i.e. 30 days to pay, being able to use credit cards to make payment, etc.).
Reimbursement for Parents Utilizing Personal Vehicles
Families can be reimbursed for toll costs incurred when using a personal vehicle if the student and circumstance are specified above. Families should follow the reimbursement instructions issued by the NYCPS and file the NYCPS reimbursement form for toll costs. Documentation should include a toll receipt to be reimbursed.
Requests for an Alternate Drop-Off Location
Some families receiving specialized transportation may need their child to be dropped off on certain days at a different location from their home address, such as therapy sessions, childcare provider, or after school program.
These requests are subject to availability and may not be provided based on the location of the requested drop-off and other factors; in general, requests for alternate afternoon drop-offs in a borough that is not in the same borough as the school or the home address will not be approved. These requests generally take around 10 business days to take effect. Once approved, requests for same-day drop-off changes cannot be arranged.
Alternate afternoon bus drop-off arrangements can be requested online. Please visit the Transportation Support Hub for more information about alternate PM drop-off service and to submit a request.
Early Childhood Transportation
Some children ages 0-5 are eligible for school bus transportation:
- Children ages 6 weeks to age 3 can receive Early Intervention (EI) services if they have disabilities and/or developmental delays, and transportation needs are identified by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) on their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) .
- Children ages 3-5 with preschool Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that recommend Special Class or Special Class in an Integrated Setting, and who are attending a program in a public school or a New York State-approved preschool special education program.
- Children ages 3-5 with a medical, health, or disability-related condition that requires curb-to-school transportation. Learn more about submitting a medical exception.
If a child is eligible for curb-to-school transportation based on the above criteria, the child will be provided busing and will ride in a car seat.
See Transportation Rights for additional information.
Transitioning to Kindergarten and School-Age Services
While transportation for children with preschool IEPs is provided based on the program recommendations on the IEP, that is not the case for kindergarten and school-age children. The school-age IEP must specifically recommend curb-to-school transportation in order for the DOE to provide it. Additionally, children will not automatically ride in a car seat – it must be recommended on the IEP.
Learn more at the moving to kindergarten page.
For more information visit our specialized transportation visit, the DOE's Specialized Transportation page.
Chancellor's Regulations Related to School Transportation
See below for a list of the Chancellor's Regulations which govern transportation.