The School District of Philadelphia has launched a program to provide a monthly payment to eligible parents who choose to opt out of District bus, van, or cab assignments and instead drive their child to and from school.  All registered families will receive $300 per month ($3,000 for the school year) for transporting their child to and from school.  We also offer the option for families to receive $150 per month ($1,500 for the school year) to transport their child to school in the morning but still utilize bus, van, or cab service in the afternoon.

Program Updates

– The application period for the 2023-24 school year has concluded.  If you missed the deadline you can still participate.  Please reach out to your school’s transportation representative and ask them to submit a Transportation Action Request (TAR) to be placed in the program.  If you meet the eligibility criteria, you will be added, effective for payment the month the TAR is submitted. 

– Please allow for 30 days from the conclusion of the month to receive your payment.  Your initial payment may take up to 60 days from the conclusion of the month.

– The $150/month option is only applicable to families who choose to transport their child in the AM and utilize busing in the afternoon.  There is no option for utilizing busing in the morning and transporting the student in the afternoon.

– For Income Tax Purposes – The School District of Philadelphia does not issue 1099 Tax Forms.  However, it is recommended you report the income to your tax expert when reporting your quarterly or annual income taxes.

– If you have been approved for the program, to receive monthly payments please submit the Monthly Payment Form (Found to the right of the webpage) toward the end of each month.

–  Please Note – Payments are not issued until the month has concluded and attendance can be verified.  Payments are mailed to the address the school has on file.  If there is a discrepancy with the address on file, and the address submitted on the Monthly Payment Form, payment will be delayed.  

– Please Note – The program did not apply to summer classes or ESY.  Payments were not issued pertaining to July or August.  The program is applicable from September through June only.

– If you applied for the 2023-24 school year, but need to return to a bus route, please reach out to your school.  A school official must submit a Transportation Action Request (TAR) requesting a bus route on your behalf.  Please note – it is based on availability and may take an extensive period of time to return to a route.

***** Submitting a Monthly Payment Form does not mean you are registered in the program.  If you did not apply during the enrollment periods and were not placed in the program by a school official, you are not eligible to receive payments.

– For the 2022-23 school year, if you did not apply for the program prior to the September 30 deadline you were not eligible for a payment until the school submitted a documented Transportation Action Request (TAR) requesting the program.  If you were deemed qualified, eligibility for payments began the month the TAR was submitted.

Enrollment

Enrollment through the application period has concluded.  All families interested in participating in the program were required to apply to be eligible for a September payment.  If you were registered for the program in previous years, an application was still mandatory.

The application period to enroll for the 2023-24 school year was below.  If you missed the deadline you can still participate.  Please reach out to your school’s transportation representative and ask them to submit a Transportation Action Request (TAR) to be placed in the program.  If eligible, you will be added, but not effective for payment until the month the TAR is submitted. 

• June 1 through October 1, 2023 – CONCLUDED

Monthly Process

Each month, the Monthly Payment Form will be submitted by the parent/guardian.  A link to the form can be found on the sidebar to the right side of the webpage.  A principal or authorized school official will also submit the Monthly Payment Form to confirm attendance (students must attend 70% of in-person days for the month to qualify for a payment).

Eligibility

Eligibility varies by school and student.  If the student, and attending school, are eligible for District-provided bus, cab, or van services, then the student is eligible for the Flat Rate Program.  Several factors influence whether the child is eligible for bus, van, or cab services including but not limited to:

• Philadelphia Resident – The student must be a resident of the city of Philadelphia.
• Distance to school – Students generally must reside 1.5 miles or greater from the school.
• Grade Level – Generally, busing services are provided to students in grades 1st through 5th (Grade level eligibility varies by school).
• Hazardous Route – Designated schools have eligible students whose route to school is determined to be hazardous by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
• Individualized Education Plan – A student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) specific to transportation.
• School Participation – Your school receives District-provided busing services.
• Please Note – Families who utilize the school selection option, are generally NOT eligible for busing services.

Student Transportation ID

In order to receive the monthly payment in a timely manner, it is imperative to enter the correct Student Transportation ID on the Monthly Payment Form.  The ID can be obtained by contacting your school or by emailing Parentrans@PhilaSd.org and requesting your child’s Transportation ID.  Please see below for important details when submitting the ID:

• The Transportation ID may differ from your child’s school ID.
• Please do not enter any characters when submitting the ID other than numbers or letters.  For example, please do not enter symbols such as: (/), (@), or (-).
• If your child’s ID begins with a C or an S the next two digits will always be a zero.  Please do not follow these letters with the letter, “O.”
• If your child does not have a Transportation ID, in order to receive payments, one will need to be generated by a school official.

Address Discrepancy

If your child’s address changes during the school year, please submit the previous address on the “Address” line, and the new residence on the “Change of Address” line on the Monthly Payment Form.  You will also need to contact your school and have a school official update the address in the Transportation System.  If the address is not updated in the system by a school official, payments cannot be processed.

Guidelines

Please take note of the guidelines below in order to receive the monthly payment.

• The monthly payment is per household, not per child.
• The program is for students that are eligible for District-provided busing.  Students that are only eligible to receive a SEPTA Fare Card are not eligible.
• In order to participate in the Flat Rate Program a Vehicle Information Number (VIN) must be entered on the Monthly Payment Form.  If the individual VIN cannot be verified for each household, payment will not be issued.  One VIN for multiple households will not be accepted.
• Students are required to attend 70% of their school’s in-person days in order to qualify for that month’s payment.
• For the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, in order to participate from the start of that school year an Enrollment Form was required during one of the two application periods.  All families were required to apply in order to participate.  If you were registered for the program in previous years an Enrollment Form was still mandatory.  Submitting the Monthly Payment Form did not mean the student was in the program prior to applying.
• The program is only applicable for September through June.
• Each month an authorized school official must verify the days attended for that specific month through the Monthly Payment Form.
• One Monthly Payment Form will be filled out per household.  If more than one child in the household is being transported, please enter the same child’s information each month.
• The parent/guardian and the school official must include the correct Transportation ID on the Monthly Payment Form.  If the ID is entered incorrectly, payments may be delayed.

Please contact your child’s school for any additional information.  You may also email Parentrans@PhilaSd.org with any questions or concerns.  For more details please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the sidebar to the right of the webpage.

Liability Policy

By signing up for the Parent Flat Rate Program, you agree to the following policy:

“In consideration of and in exchange for the monthly transportation reimbursement I will receive, I, for myself, my child, my executors and assigns, agree to undertake and provide for the school transportation needs of my child and agree that The School District of Philadelphia shall not be responsible for or liable in any way for school transportation of my child. I further agree to release and forever discharge The School District of Philadelphia and its agents, officers, employees and volunteers from any claim that I might have myself or that I could bring on my child’s behalf with regard to any claim or claims, damages, demands or actions whatsoever, including those based on negligence, in any manner arising out of this transportation.”