Some families and students experiencing difficult circumstances may qualify for an exception to our normal transportation rules.
Note that no exception will be granted because a family disagrees with grade and distance eligibility.
To apply for an exception:
- Speak to your school about your child’s situation
- Review the information on this page
- If after steps 1 and 2, you believe your child may qualify, the request form submitted varies by type of exception:
- If the student requires an exception due to a hazard, order of protection, victim of a crime, joint custody, if the student is in temporary housing (STH) including children living in shelters, including domestic violence shelters, children residing with other families due to financial or economic hardship (doubled-up), and children transitioning to permanent housing, fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub or
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Temporary Housing Exception
Students in temporary housing (STH) include children living in shelters, including domestic violence (DV) shelters, children residing with other families due to financial or economic hardship (doubled-up), children transitioning to permanent housing, and other temporary housing. See Chancellor’s Regulation A-780 for the full definition and entitlements.
Students in temporary housing are entitled to transportation. Transportation can be provided via MetroCard or bus, depending on availability and the child’s grade.
For children residing in DHS shelters, the DOE and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) work together to automatically provide transportation to children.
For all other children, including those residing in domestic violence shelters, transportation can be requested as follows:
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school, shelter staff, or DOE shelter staff for assistance.
For children residing in domestic violence shelters, the DOE is committed to preserving confidentiality of the child’s location and works closely with domestic violence shelter staff to ensure children are provided a convenient method of transportation without revealing their address.
For children transitioning to permanent housing, they are eligible for transportation through the end of the school year in which they are permanently housed and for an additional year if the student will be entering the final grade for their school.
Foster Care Exception
Children in foster care are eligible for transportation. Transportation can be provided via MetroCard or bus, depending on the availability and the child’s grade.
Parents, foster parents, and/or foster care agencies should
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- IF you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Joint Custody Exception
Children whose parents/guardians no longer reside in the same home may be eligible for a joint custody arrangement, if:
- The child already receives curb-to-school or specialized transportation as part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP), 504 Accommodations Plan, or approved medical exception;
- The child already receives stop-to-school transportation based on grade and distance eligibility; and
- Both of the two addresses qualify based on grade and distance eligibility. Note that children for whom one of the two addresses qualifies, the child will only be eligible for busing to the address that qualifies, not to both.
To apply for this type of exception:
- BOTH parents/guardians must sign the application
- The requested calendar MUST be filled out entirely for a two-week cycle
- Legal documentation of custody arrangement – acceptable documents are listed below:
- Joint custody agreement
- Court order that details the joint custody agreement
- Divorce decree that details the joint custody agreement
- Separation agreement that details the joint custody arrangement
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Victim of a Crime Exception
If your child has been a victim of a crime either outside of their school or on the way to or from school, they may be eligible for an exception.
To apply for this type of exception, submit:
- One of the following:
- Police report
- School incident report number
- Written statement by the child
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Order of Protection Exception
If your child has an Order of Protection against another child or an adult, this must be immediately reported to your school. Your school must input this information into DOE systems with no delay to ensure your child’s safety.
After you have completed this necessary step, you can apply for an exception. Submit:
- Order of Protection
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Hazard Exception
Children are expected to walk the shortest route and along established streets and sidewalks available to regular auto or pedestrian traffic, or satisfactory off-road paths in order to reach school.
Please note: The following are NOT considered hazards or obstructions, and requests based on these will not be approved:
- People loitering along the walkway
- General concerns about crime in the neighborhood
- Unpaved roads or sidewalks
- Traveling in the dark
- Abandoned buildings lining a street along the walkway
If your child is in kindergarten through sixth grade AND one of the following conditions are present along the walkway to school, to a school bus stop, or to a public transit stop, then you may request an exception:
- Narrow bridges or underpass
- Railroad crossing
- No sidewalk
- Busy street but no stop sign, traffic light, and/or pedestrian crossing
- Barrier that requires re-routing to a longer walkway
When reviewing these requests, we may recommend an alternative walking path that avoids the hazardous conditions in accordance with the child’s allowable distance and grade eligibility.
To request an exception:
- Fill out the Transportation Exception Form on the support hub.
- If you cannot use the online form above, please contact your school for assistance.
Medical Transportation Accommodations
Your child may be eligible for student transportation to and from school by yellow bus or Metro Card if they are within a certain grade range, and a distance range from the school. Check the Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) Transportation Eligibility webpage to see if your child is eligible for a yellow bus or MetroCard.
For requests for transportation accommodations (for example, limited travel time or paraprofessional support to provide one-to-one supervision on the school bus), complete the accommodation request forms from the 504 accommodations website (Request for Section 504 Accommodations Parent Form with HIPAA Authorization, have your child's health care provider fill out the Medical Accommodations Request Form), and submit both forms to your school’s 504 Coordinator. Requests based on a long-term medical condition that impacts the child’s ability to take public transportation are reviewed by the 504 Team.
If your child requires transportation as an exception to OPT’s eligibility rules because of a temporary medical condition or short-term limited mobility, the parent must submit the Medical Exception Request Form along with the HIPAA Authorization Form to OPT via busingexceptions@schools.nyc.gov.