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Charter a Bus

Charter a Coach Bus
Schools can use the FAMIS Portal to charter service on a coach bus for round-trip transportation of students and adults on school trips lasting no more than six days and five nights, within the five boroughs, intrastate and out of state from all schools and offices under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Education. Chartered coach buses can be equipped with or without restrooms.

Schools should go to the FAMIS Portal to determine the least expensive vendor for their trip and issue a purchase order (see below).


Use the FAMIS Portal to Charter a Coach Bus

To charter a coach bus for trips lasting no more than six days and five nights:
  1. Plan your trip.
  2. Access the FAMIS Portal
  3. From the Purchasing/Payments dropdown menu, click Purchasing > Contracted > e-Catalog > Coach Bus.
  4. Enter your origin and destination as prompted. Use MapQuest  for distance calculation.The portal will prompt you to double the one-way trip for round trip miles. If the trip has multiple legs (school to zoo to museum to school) do not double the miles. Round the mileage to the nearest whole number.
  5. The portal will identify the least expensive vendors in order.
  6. Call the first vendor to reserve your trip. (Be sure to save your project while you make the call, otherwise you will have to re-enter the purchase order.)
  7. If the first vendor confirms, then issue your purchase order via the portal.
  8. If the first vendor declines, the vendor will need to provide evidence that they have allocated ten (10) buses to other Department of Education trips. If the vendor can do so, then go to the next vendor to reserve the bus. Each succeeding vendor is more expensive than the prior, so be sure to go in order.
  9. Verify need or cost effectiveness of an additional driver, if the vendor recommends it.

Note: Schools may change or cancel a trip at no cost provided the change or cancellation is received by the vendor by 3:00 PM on the day before the scheduled trip. If a change or cancellation is received by the vendor after 3:00 PM on the day before the scheduled trip, schools will be issued a credit for service of an equal amount that can be used at a later date.

For assistance call the Portal Help Desk at (718) 935-4444.

If your trip is for more than six days and five nights, then it is outside the scope of the contracts and you need to:
  • Solicit bids from all four of the contracted coach vendors listed above (based on the terms and conditions of their contracts under RFB B0634, including the provision of an OPT-certified driver).
  • Select a vendor.
  • Issue the purchase order through the usual channels not the FAMIS portal.

Charter a Yellow Bus
If you decide a chartered coach bus is too expensive and you prefer to charter a yellow bus, then you need to:
  • Check the school age bus company directory and solicit bids from three vendors.
  • Select a vendor.
  • Issue a purchase order through the usual channels.
  • Be sure the vendor uses only a certified driver.
Services for these trips are not covered by any contract.


If none of the contracted vendors are available on the date of your scheduled trip, then the school is required to obtain three competitive bids from different vendors and follow the guidelines below.

Competitive Bid Guidelines
Schools must use vendors rated satisfactory by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Click here to access the U.S. Department of Transportation passenger carrier safety ratings.

Every purchase order must include the following:

  • The driver of the charter bus must be a New York State Department of Motor Vehicles 19-A certified driver and must present his or her certification to the school official accompanying the trip.
  • Certification must be either final or interim. Any documentation the vendor uses to show proof of delivery must include the initials of the school official confirming that he or she has seen the 19A Certification.

The contractor must agree to provide the following insurance:

  • The charter bus provider is responsible for obtaining general liability coverage and automobile liability insurance coverage for personal injury (including, but not limited to death, sickness, disease and impairment) and property damage, caused directly or indirectly by any act(s) or commission or omission of the Contract.

The liability coverage limits for personal injury (including, but not limited to, death, sickness, disease and impairment) shall be not less than:

  • Combined single limit coverage of Five Million ($5,000,000.00) per occurrence, or
  • Split limit coverage of Five Hundred Thousand ($500,000.00) per person and Five Million ($5,000,000.00) per occurrence.

The liability coverage limit for property damage shall be not less than:

  • Combined single limit coverage of One Hundred Thousand ($100,000.00) per occurrence, or
  • Split limit coverage of Fifty Thousand ($50,000.00) per person and One Hundred Thousand ($100,000.00) per occurrence.

Schools must check for proof of insurance. The company should be able to provide an insurance certificate. Schools must also ensure that the company they choose is licensed to provide the type of service they are requesting and the school official in charge should verify that:

  • The driver of the vehicle has the appropriate license and a company-issued identification card.
  • The vehicle has a valid registration and DOT sticker.
  • The capacity of the bus, as indicated by the numbers located by the entry door, is sufficient to transport the number of people who are taking the trip.

View the sample copies of final and interim certification letters in the Key Documents section for reference. Schools may contact their ISC Contract Administrator for assistance.