nyc doe trip opt

• about this site

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Transportation Vendors

The following information is for Transportation Vendors .

For information relevant to all vendors, visit General Information for Vendors .

The Contractor's Manual

Contractors are responsible for understanding and carrying out all of the duties and responsibilities set forth in the Standard Operating Procedures for School Bus Contractors Providing Service under Contracts with the NYCDOE (herein expressed as "Contractor's Manual") and in the applicable contract(s). In the event of a conflict between the Contractor’s Manual and the applicable Contract(s), the applicable Contract(s) shall govern. 

• Vehicle Specifications
• Driver and Attendant Certification Process & Responsibilities
• Violations, Procedures & Assessment of Liquidated Damages
• Vehicle Inspection Standards, Maintenance & Safety
• Investigations Procedures
• Accidents, Emergencies & Other Delays
• Routing & Scheduling System
• Field Trip Procedures
• Picking of Runs

Standard Operating Procedures

Visit the Standard Operating Procedures Modernization Plan page to learn more about the installation and use of equipment/devices and training for the recording, reporting, or transmitting information regarding the location of vehicles and/or students.

Electric Bus Seminar

OPT, in conjunction with the EPA, Con-Ed, Mayor’s Office and NYSERDA, recently held a virtual  electric bus seminar  to inform vendors of all the great opportunities available to them to assist in electrifying their fleet! 

Vendor Documents

• Driver/Attendant Approval Form
• Information Form Bus Attendant
• Attendant Medical Form
• Information Form Bus Driver
• Student Emergency Contact Form
• School Bus Incident Reporting Procedures
• School Bus Incident Form
• Contractor System Guide
• Section 11 Attachments
• Car Seat Retraining Certificate Template
• Wheelchair Retraining Certificate Template
• Sleeping Children Sign

Tools & Resources

• Information for Bus Companies  (Requires login)
• NYC Public Schools Calendar
• Non-Public Schools Calendar
• Vendor Information System  (Requires login)
• Vendor Integration  (Requires login)
• OPT Contracts  (Requires login)
• Accidents  (Requires login)

Maps & Routes

• Map Portal  (Requires login)
• Summer Map Portal  (Requires login)
• Bus Route Status  (Requires login)
• Special Education Routing System  (Requires login)
• Route Integration System  (Requires login)
• MyGeotab User Access Form

Call Recording & Attendance

• OPT Call Recording System  (Requires login)
• Pre-K Call Recording System  (Requires login)
• Drivers & Attendants System  (Requires login)

Other Applications

• School Bus Violations  (Requires login)
• Field Trips  (Requires login)
• Pre-K/Early Intervention Site and Rider System  (Requires login)
• Vehicle System  (Requires login)
• Pre-K/El Site Calendar System  (Requires login)
• Summer Pre-K/El Rider System  (Requires login)

NYC Bus Lane Use

Per NYC Traffic Rules , school buses are authorized to use New York City bus lanes when transporting passengers.

• For the definition of a school bus, see section 4-01(b)
• For specific bus lane restrictions, see section 4-12(m)

We share this information so that your drivers have every option to reduce traffic delays and ride duration for NYC Students.

How to Support Bus Lane Use

Remind your drivers that school buses with passengers are allowed to use NYC bus lanes , and make sure they are familiar with the rules and definitions above. 

• Verbally communicate to drivers the legal use of NYC bus lanes by vehicles transporting students
• Encourage drivers to use NYC bus lanes to reduce traffic delays and ride duration when possible
• Add the bus lane rules to the training materials you give to new drivers 
• Add the bus lane rules to the training refresh materials you give to employed drivers 

Working with NYCDOT & NYPD for Success

We engaged the NYPD and NYCDOT to ensure all relevant city agencies share a common understanding about this policy, and to provide school bus vehicle information recorded in our Vehicle System  (log-in required) to the NYPD. 

Questions About NYC Bus Lane Use

If you have any questions regarding this policy/information you may contact Darren Johnson at OPT.

Health & Cleanliness

Nyc vaccine mandate.

NYC has discontinued the Key to NYC vaccination requirement.

Cleaning & Disinfection 

The interior of each vehicle must be cleaned and either swept or vacuumed thoroughly after each route AM/PM run and/or at least once each day. The Contractor shall be responsible for cleaning and disinfecting seats and all safety equipment and accessories as often as necessary for sanitary reasons and to maintain the comfort of passengers. Additionally, the exterior of each vehicle must be washed at least weekly and must be maintained in as clean a condition as possible, weather and other conditions permitting.

Resources from the NYC Department of Health (DOH)

• DOH's Coronavirus Page
• FAQs for Schools & Families

Related Links

The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. Up and Down arrows will open main level menus and toggle through sub tier links. Enter and space open menus and escape closes them as well. Tab will move on to the next part of the site rather than go through menu items.

Exceptions to Transportation Eligibility

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 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

• 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

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

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

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:

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  [email protected] .

• Transportation Eligibility

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• What are Charter Schools?
• Get the Facts
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• Growth + Demand
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• Achievement
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• Lift the Cap!
• Shaping Futures
• #FamiliesNeedToKnow
• Charters Open Doors
• Safety for All Students

OPT for Charter Schools

Managing transportation can be very challenging for new Charter Schools.  These two presentations from the NYC DOE's Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT) will make that task easier.   OPT Basics explains the structure of the Office of Pupil Transportation and how charter schools work with OPT; Charter School Transportation Overview has current information on topics including eligibility, MetroCards, yellow bus service, and special education needs.

The NYC Common Online Application

Families are still able to apply to charter schools for the 2020-21 school year while NYC experiences school closures due to COVID-19. Apply online to multiple charter schools in your neighborhood.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity. The Common Online Charter School Application deadline is April 24. Apply Now!

*Specific application deadlines may vary by school. Some schools may close their application window by April 1.

Apply Online Now

• Education Programs
• Resources for Educators

Field Trips

• Educator Funding
• Science & Research

We welcome educators to use these field trips to expose students to New York City’s environment. Be sure to check out Resources for Educators for lesson plan and activity ideas. For more information, contact [email protected] .

Dynamic H20 Exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan

The Dynamic H20 exhibit in the Sussman Environmental Center at the Children’s Museum of Manhattan features hands-on interactives and cool, colorful graphics. It dives into the City’s water supply system, which delivers about 1 billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million New Yorkers.

The exhibit features a 16-foot interactive water table that enables children to investigate the path of New York City’s water as they play and explore. Additional features include an interactive building designed to help children understand how gravity and pumps are essential in providing water to houses and skyscrapers across the city. Magnetic tubes that can carry water allow visitors to create the aqueducts and tunnels that transport water from watersheds to New York City and understand the roles that people play to help design and construct systems that deliver a plentiful supply of clean water. Children are challenged to piece together enough pipes to span the “100 miles” from the Catskills to the city. Other special features are outdoor laboratories where children can enjoy inquiry-based exploration, assuming the roles of some of the people involved in maintaining New York City’s water resources, including marine biologists, ecologists and other scientists. A wide range of educator-led workshops will take place throughout the exhibit’s run. Participation is free with admission.

For more information, visit the Children’s Museum of Manhattan .

Connected Worlds Exhibition at the New York Hall of Science

Connected Worlds, a groundbreaking exhibition at the New York Hall of Science, immerses visitors in a fantastical universe where they can affect the health of six distinct biomes. All of the biomes share a common resource: water, which flows across the interactive floor from a waterfall, the exhibition’s centerpiece.

Through gestures and manipulation of physical objects, visitors guide water among the worlds, cultivate them and explore how the complex system underlying Connected Worlds works. As visitors interact with plants and creatures, they discover the interconnectedness of the different environments and experience how individual and collective actions can have widespread impact.

The experience affords the opportunity for teachers to help their students understand how systems thinking relates to understanding sustainability and make analogies to better grasp how the complexity of our own world functions.

For more information, visit the Connected Worlds at the New York Hall of Science .

The Relief Map of the New York City Water Supply System at the Queens Museum

The 540 square-foot model represents the living, working landscape of the watersheds that supply New York with one billion gallons of drinking water each day.

For more information, visit The Queens Museum .

Time & the Valleys Museum

The Time & the Valleys Museum is home to the history of the Rondout and Neversink Watersheds and the geographical area encompassing the Tri-Valley Central School District.

For more information, visit the Time & the Valleys Museum .

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King Charles Too Busy to See Son Prince Harry During UK Trip

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, cries as she, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Queen Camilla and King Charles attend the state funeral and burial of Britain's Queen Elizabeth, in London, Britain, September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

By Michael Holden

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Harry, 39, has returned to Britain to attend a number of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, the international sporting event that he founded for military personnel wounded in action.

The younger son of King Charles has only been back in Britain on a few occasions since he and his American wife Meghan stepped down from official royal roles in 2020 and moved to Los Angeles where they live with their two young children.

They have since become estranged from the rest of the royal family and Harry is said to be barely on speaking terms with his elder brother, heir to the throne Prince William.

Harry's last publicised trip came in February when he made a flying visit to see his father for a quick reunion after Buckingham Palace revealed that the 75-year-old king had been diagnosed with cancer.

There had been press speculation that the pair would meet up again on his latest trip, but a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said this would not happen.

"In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not the duke will meet with his father while in the UK this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full programme," the spokesperson said.

"The duke of course is understanding of his father's diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."

Charles returned to public duties last week for the first time since his diagnosis for an unspecified form of cancer. Buckingham Palace said the king's diary would be carefully managed to minimise any risks to his health.

The palace has said it would not comment on matters relating to Harry.

On Tuesday, Harry, who served in the British armed forces in Afghanistan, attended a number of appointments linked to the Invictus Games. On Wednesday he will appear at a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London where he will deliver one of the readings.

After leaving Britain, Harry will be joined by his wife Meghan for a visit to Nigeria.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Gareth Jones)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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