Many common questions are answered below or on the Transportation Department's main page at: https://www.cps-k12.org/transportation.

If your question is not answered on our main page or below, please call us at:

• Normal Business Hours - Transportation Hotline: 513-363-RIDE (7433) - Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Please allow up to ten business days for your request to be evaluated. If your request is approved, you will receive an email or phone call with the new route information. If the request cannot be approved, you will receive an email or phone call.

CPS has a full list of transportation eligibility requirements. To view the complete list, please visit the following page: https://www.cps-k12.org/transportationeligibility

Current Transportation Eligibility

• The student's legal residence is located within the legal boundaries of the Cincinnati Public School District.

• The distance between the student's legal residence and the school of attendance, when measured by the most direct public route, is a minimum of 1 mile for elementary students or a minimum of 1 mile for high school students. All distance measurements used to determine eligibility will be calculated by CPS' Pupil Transportation routing system.

• The student is enrolled in kindergarten to 12th grade. (Preschool students with transportation related accommodations identified in their IEP/ARD disabilities may be eligible for transportation. Contact CPS' Early Childhood Department for information at (513) 363-0240 or visit https://www.cps-k12.org/preschool.    

• Students attending some K-12 schools — Oyler and Riverview East — will be transported by yellow bus only for grades K-8. However, High school (9-12) students at these schools will use Metro. Students in K-12 schools who participate in after-school sports and club activities will receive extracurricular Metro passes to ride Metro buses home during a prescribed time period only. The Metro passes will not work for anyone outside of the prescribed times communicated by campus administrators and athletic/extracurricular directors/coaches/sponsors.

• An elementary student attending a neighborhood school must reside within that school's attendance area.

• Students with special-needs who are assigned by the Student Services Department to schools other than their neighborhood schools shall be considered within the assigned schools' transportation service areas.

• "Transportation as a Related Service" must be specified within the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) by the Student Services Department.

• It takes less than 30 minutes to travel directly from the student's assigned neighborhood school to the school of attendance.

• The transportation service for students has not been suspended as a result of inappropriate behavior.

In order to best serve parents and guardians with children in Grades K-8 in Nonpublic and Charter Schools, please request transportation services through the academic institution your student is enrolled. Then allow up to 7 school days for communication regarding eligibility.

Find it on PowerSchool!

• This is available for CPS families only and transportation information will only appear on the web-based application via your web browser (i.e., Google Chrome, Safari, Microsift Edge) and not the mobile app.
• If you do not have a parent PowerSchool account, please contact your child's school or the Family Technology Support Help Desk at 513-363-0688 or by email at fts@cpsboe.k12.oh.us  You can also contact CPS Transportation at 513-363-RIDE(7433).
• This information can be accessed from your PowerSchool account by clicking on "Bus Info" on the left side of the page.
  
  • To view and download instructions, click here: Transportation - PowerSchool and MyStop Instructions

Parents and guardians with children in Grades K-8 must complete the Deviated Childcare Request form that contains the information to request a change to existing transportation services.

To speed up the process, CPS has automated the request for Alternative Stop Request and Deviated Childcare Request Form. Please click on the button below to submit electronically.

trAnsportation inquiry form

If you are unable to complete the electronic document, please call 513-363-RIDE (7433).

Parents and guardians with children in Grades K-8 must complete the Deviated Childcare Request form that contains the information to request a change to existing transportation services.

To speed up the process, CPS has automated the request for Alternative Stop Request and Deviated Childcare Request Form. Please click on the button below to submit electronically.

(Alternative Stop & Deviated Childcare Request Forms cannot be processed earlier than 10 school days. If after 10 school days you have not received an acceptance or denial notification by email or phone contact the CPS Call Center Hotline.)

trAnsportation inquiry form

If you prefer to print and fill out the form manually, please download the form below.

• View and download the Yellow Bus Changing Service Request form here: https://cpsselfservice.tfaforms.net/58 

MyStop is a mobile phone application that tracks real-time information on the estimated time of arrival of your child's assigned school bus. The application does not provide identifying information about your child to a third party, nor does it show the current exact location of the bus for security and safety reasons. It does, however, give you the ability to receive updates and know when your child’s bus will arrive at the designated stop on any day when school is in session.

Download the MyStop app ...it's Free!

• Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tyler.versatrans.mystop&hl=en_US&gl=US 
• iPhone App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/versatrans-my-stop/id977300092 

Instructions:

• View and download the MyStop application instructions here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17CkWIBTT3hXZS1Or-2rfJeBDGasexdUH/edit#

If your child's bus does not stop at the scheduled stop at all, please report to the CPS Transportation Call Center by calling (513) 363-RIDE (7433).

Find it on MyStop Application

1. Download the “Versatrans My Stop” app from the iPhone App Store or Google Play.
   • Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tyler.versatrans.mystop&hl=en_US&gl=US 
   • iPhone App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/versatrans-my-stop/id977300092 
2. Allow notifications from “Tyler Technologies LLC” (that’s the app’s publisher)
3. Select “Cincinnati Public Schools” from the list of available school districts
4. If you’ve never logged into MyStop, use the account information below:
   • Account Information:
   • User Name:
   • Password:
   • You will be required to change it at the initial login
   • All of your children should be linked to this account; if not, please call (513) 363-RIDE to have your children linked under one account. 

• To view and download instructions, click here: Transportation - PowerSchool and MyStop Instructions

If you need assistance in resetting your password, please call (513) 363-RIDE (7433).

Yes, any student in grades 7 and 8 can choose to ride Metro instead of using the yellow bus service. Requests for reassignment may be done online at https://cpsselfservice.tfaforms.net/58. Students reassigned to Metro will be removed from their yellow bus route and receive their Metro pass from their school.  

School Transportation on Metro's Website

• For additional Metro information, links and to download the Transit App, please visit the following website: https://www.go-metro.com/student-transportation

Google Trip Planner Tool 

• CPS families can begin planning their students' trips to school using the Google Trip Planner tool by clicking the link: https://www.go-metro.com/#googletripplanner
  • Note: Be sure to enter "08/18/22" or later into the "Date" field in the trip planner in order to access the correct information.

Contacting CPS

• transportation inquiry form

First Day of School (10 days prior the student must be registered at their campus with all correct information uploaded)

• For the 2023-2024 school year, students will notified by CPS Transportation Department by phone, email, and text before the start of school. The notification will have more information about how students can get to and from school. Students will pick up their Metro pass from their school on August 17 2023, the first day of school.

Replacing Lost or Missing Metro Bus Pass 

• For the 2023-2024 school year, if your child is eligible for the Metro Pass, please contact your school to purchase a replacement pass. A pass will be ordered for your child and will be ready for pickup within 10 business school days. For CPS schools, passes will be delivered to the school and distributed. For non-public or charter schools, the Pass can be picked up at the Education Center located at 2651 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45219.

Students must consult their coach, campus athletic director, or extracurricular activities chairperson.