What changed for 2026-27
Nothing new, and that's the news. CPS says that because of the ongoing bus driver shortage, it may not be able to transport every general education student in a magnet or selective program this year. Schools that were hub stops last year stay hub stops.
Chicago Public Schools transportation: who still rides
| Grade band or program | Distance rule | How it's measured | Exceptions and alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|
| General education, magnet or selective programs | Not published; your school confirms eligibility | Not stated | Eligible students may get a hub stop, or a free CTA Ventra card ($35 a month) plus a companion pass for one parent. Not every eligible student is guaranteed a bus. |
| A child who isn't eligible, with an eligible sibling at the same school | Rides with the sibling | Ask with the Sibling Transportation Request (Yellow Form). | |
| Students with an IEP or 504 plan listing transportation | Per the plan | If CPS can't route them, families may get a transportation stipend (below). | |
| Students in temporary living situations | Separate process | Start with the school. |
Source: CPS Transportation Services (opens in a new tab), checked October 15, 2026.
If there's no bus
Ask first. Two requests can change the answer. The Yellow Form asks for a seat beside an eligible sibling at the same school. And CPS's financial incentive program pays families to drive a student whose IEP or 504 plan lists transportation, who lives five miles or more from school, when CPS has no route for them. CPS decides within five business days, and taking it doesn't cost you the bus later.
Then transit. With a Student Ventra card, a CTA ride costs 75 cents, and transfers are free for up to two more rides within two hours (CTA fares (opens in a new tab)). The student fare covers ages 7 to 20, and children 6 and under ride free with a paying adult (CTA reduced fares (opens in a new tab)). For a seventh grader, that's a cheap, real way to school. For a first grader, the fare isn't the problem. Somebody has to ride with them, and that somebody has a job.
Then a carpool.
Finding families
Start at your hub stop. Every family assigned to it is at the same corner at the same time, every school day, and CPS told each of them by email. Those are the parents to ask. If your school isn't a hub, ask the school which hub is nearest; its families are already driving there.
Carpool ideas that work with the CTA
Chicago families don't need a carpool that replaces transit. They need one that covers the gap transit leaves.
- Drive to the hub, not the school. One parent drives three kids to the hub on Monday, another on Tuesday.
- Drive the little ones, let the big ones ride. In a family with a seventh grader and a first grader at the same magnet school, the older one can take the train. In Carpool-Q you mark the seventh grader "not riding" on train days, so the driver knows it's only the first grader.
- Split the day. If mornings work for a parent and afternoons don't, cover the morning drive and let older kids ride the CTA home with a friend.
- Plan for January, not September. A 15-minute platform wait in September is nothing. In January, the carpool earns its keep.
Write the days down on a free printable carpool schedule (no account needed).
Hub runs, train days and a first grader who always needs a ride. One week, every family's phone.
- One shared week on every family's phone, with a driver for each drop-off and pickup.
- Mark a rider "not riding" for a day, or swap a day, and every family sees it.
- If tomorrow has no driver, the whole carpool gets an alert the evening before.
Each family starts with 14 days free. You invite the others by email or a text from the app.
Each family has its own account: 14 days free, then $1.99 a month per family. You invite the other families by email or a text from the app.
Not ready for an app? Get the free printable carpool schedule (no account needed).
Carpool-Q is not affiliated with Chicago Public Schools or the CTA. Facts on this page come from the CPS and CTA websites linked above, for the 2026-27 school year, checked October 15, 2026. Next check: July 2027.