Transportation eligibility is based on a student’s grade level, walking distance between home and school, and existing accommodations based on a medical condition, housing status, or safety assessment.
| Grade Level | Distance Code A:
Less than 0.5 mile | Distance Code B:
0.5 mile or more, but less than 1 mile | Distance Code C:
1 mile or more, but less than 1.5 miles | Distance Code D:
1.5 miles or more |
| Grades Kindergarten, 1, and 2 | Not Eligible | School Bus or MetroCard | School Bus or MetroCard | School Bus or MetroCard |
| Grades 3-6 | Not Eligible | MetroCard only | School Bus or MetroCard | School Bus or MetroCard |
| Grade 7-12 | Not Eligible | MetroCard only | MetroCard only | MetroCard only |
If eligible, when does a student get an assigned school bus versus a MetroCard?
Students are assigned a Yellow School Bus if:
- The student is in grades K-6
- The student lives in the same district as the school (if attending a public school) or the same borough (if attending a non-public or charter school, or a citywide Gifted & Talented program)
- The student's school has yellow bus service available for all eligible students
- A bus stop within the student’s grade/distance eligibility exists or can be added to accommodate the student.
Note: Students using this type of transportation are assigned to a safe predetermined bus stop at an intersection. Students use the same stop both in the morning and the afternoon.
Eligible students who do not meet these criteria will receive a MetroCard.
Students are provided MetroCards if:
- The student is in grades K-12
- Yellow bus service is not available or if a new stop cannot be added for the student; in this case, a MetroCard can be issued upon request
- MetroCards are distributed to all students in grades 7-12;
Note: MetroCards are distributed by a school's transportation coordinator.
Exceptions to Transportation Eligibility
Under certain circumstances, the DOE may grant an exception to the eligibility requirements listed above. The types of exceptions are:
- Temporary Housing Exception
- Includes shelters, domestic violence shelters, families living with others due to economic or financial hardship (doubled-up), and transitioning to permanent housing
- Foster Care Exception
- Joint Custody Exception
- Victim of a Crime Exception
- Order of Protection Exception
- Hazard Exception
To learn how to apply for an exception, visit our Exceptions to Transportation Eligibility page.
See below for other circumstances which may impact transportation eligibility.
Curb-to-School or Specialized Transportation Eligibility
Curb-to-school or specialized transportation is when a bus picks up a student from the curb nearest their home and drops them off at their school.
Only students who have transportation recommended on their Individualized Education Program IEP or 504 Accommodation Plan (504), or have an approved medical exception from the Office of Pupil Transportation, are eligible for curb-to-school transportation.
Questions about receiving specialized transportation should be directed to the IEP or 504 team at the student's school.
Families of students who already receive curb-to-school or specialized transportation can request one-way transportation to an afterschool location instead of being dropped off at their home.
- The Request for an Alternate Drop-Off Location Form must be completed by the primary parent/guardian, except for students in foster care; in such cases, the foster care agency can submit it on behalf of the parent/guardian and foster parent. Schools cannot complete this form on behalf of a parent/guardian. The parent/guardian must initiate the request and sign the form.
Preschool and Early Intervention Programs
Children enrolled in Preschool Special Education programs are eligible for curb-to-school bus service if:
Students receiving Early Intervention services are eligible for curb-to-school bus service if their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) recommends transportation.
Questions about transportation for preschoolers should be directed to the Committee on Preschool Special Education.
Questions about transportation for Early Intervention should be directed to the IFSP team.
Students in Temporary Housing
Per Chancellor’s Regulation A-780, students who are homeless or temporarily housed are eligible for free transportation while they are homeless, through the end of the school year in which they become permanently housed, and for an additional school year if the student will be entering the final grade in their school. The student has a right to a MetroCard if stop to school busing is not available.
Schools must submit a Transportation Exception Form to request busing for students in preschool through grade 6 who are not otherwise eligible for busing.
Parents/guardians of students in temporary housing 3K- grade 12 who do not receive busing or are in the process of being routed can receive a MetroCard from their child's school to accompany their child to and from school. To request a MetroCard, contact your child’s school.
Visit Transportation Rights to learn more.
Students in Foster Care
Students in foster care have the right to transportation to and from school either by MetroCard or by school bus, to and from school. Students who are final discharged from foster care are entitled to transportation to their school of origin for the remainder of the school year and for one additional year if the student will be entering the final grade in their school. The student has a right to a MetroCard if stop to school busing is not available.
Schools must submit a Transportation Exception Form to request busing for students in preschool through grade 6 who are not otherwise eligible for busing.
Gifted & Talented
Placement in a G&T program does not guarantee school bus service.
Transportation eligibility for G&T programs is based on a student’s grade level and walking distance between home and school. See more in the “Transportation Eligibility” chart at the top of this page.
District-based G&T Programs
If the G&T program is in the same district where the student lives:
If the program the student attends is in the district where the student lives, the NYCDOE will determine busing based on a student’s grade level and walking distance between home and school.
The student will get a yellow school bus if:
- The school has applied to the Office of Pupil Transportation for yellow bus service. For information about current bus stops at specific schools, contact the school directly.
- The student lives in the same district as the school
- The NYCDOE can reach the student and at least 10 other students on a bus route that does not exceed 5 miles in length when measured on the streets travelled by the bus through the stops on the route
Eligible students who do not meet these criteria get a MetroCard. This means that an eligible student will get a MetroCard if they live at a distance from the school where the NYCDOE cannot create an 11-person/5-mile bus route.
If the G&T program is in a different district than where the student lives:
If the program the student attends is in a different district than where the student lives, school bus transportation is not provided, but the NYCDOE will provide the student with a MetroCard.
Citywide G&T Programs
Students who attend Citywide G&T programs do not have to live in the same district as their school to be considered eligible for transportation but they must live in the same borough. All other eligibility rules apply.
Specialized Transportation
Students who are eligible for specialized transportation will receive specialized transportation to the G&T program. See more under “Specialized Transportation Eligibility”