Non-Public Schools

Compass Access for Non-Public Schools

  • First obtain credentials to access COMPASS by completing an SDP_ExternalUserForm  for access to COMPASS.
  • Send the completed form to compass@philasd.org. A designee from the Department of Transportation Services will sign off as your district sponsor and email the form to the IT Helpdesk for COMPASS access.
  • New users will receive an email from helpdesk@philasd.org with their username, password, and a link to the School District of Philadelphia SDP portal to login to COMPASS.

Student Transportation Eligibility in COMPASS

The Department of Transportation Services is committed to making the process of fulfilling student transit requests as easily and efficiently as possible. The first step in this process is to determine whether a student is eligible for transportation.

Please navigate to the the School Board Policy  to view guidelines on student transportation.

Determining Student Transportation Eligibility in COMPASS

In order to determine eligibility, all pertinent data is entered into our mapping software called COMPASS. COMPASS is a web-based program that creates our District-wide bus routes. COMPASS is built using the leading, widely popular, and standard GIS technology platform from Esri. This is the same technology used by the majority of federal, state, county, municipal and school district agencies. Our Scheduling Analysts use COMPASS to assign transportation services to students and communicate the transportation assignments to schools.

Understanding how COMPASS works will help you facilitate your students’ transportation as well as communicate with parents and guardians about their transit and routing concerns and questions.

How to Request Transportation

To request and change transportation for students School Administrators must:

  • Ensure the student information has been entered into XSIS correctly.
  • Submit a Transportation Access Request (TAR): this is a request to your Scheduling Analyst for student transportation.
    • Once you submit your TAR, the Scheduling Analyst will use the information in COMPASS, combined with existing routes, to put the student on the route that is the most efficient.
    • For students who are eligible for TransPasses, a TAR is not required. If a student is eligible for a TransPass, COMPASS will automatically assign the TransPass once the student has been entered into the SIS. For details on the TransPass distribution process, please visit our TransPass Guidelines page.

Training Resources

Please view training videos at right for detailed information on how to submit a TAR and access important transportation reports such as Route Operation Reports.

If you need additional training support, contact your Scheduling Analyst. Please view the Scheduling Analyst Assignment List to confirm your Scheduling Analyst and get their contact information.

You can also e-mail compass@philasd.org to request training support.