Given our location in Center City Philadelphia, Friends Select School can be reached by many modes of travel.
Whether students are coming from the city, suburbs, or surrounding region, the commute is easy, and families have multiple transportation options.
PRIVATE FSS BUS TRANSPORTATION
Friends Select is able to provide pick-up and drop-off private busing service to certain students in grades pre-K through 12. While we try to serve all families who request service, priority is given to our youngest students and we typically only can serve students who live within 1.5 miles of school. Additionally, we must have multiple interested students in a neighborhood in order to provide service.
The school designs routes for door-to-door service wherever possible, and aims to have a route length of no more than 60 minutes. The bus will be scheduled so that it can arrive in order to meet the 8:00 a.m. start time for middle and upper school classes. Upon arrival, lower school students go to the Dining Hall and are supervised by Friends Select staff and wait until they enter their classroom for their 8:15 a.m. class start. The bus will depart promptly after the 3:00 p.m. dismissal in the afternoon. If a student is involved in an after-school activity that goes beyond the departure time of the bus, other arrangements need to be made to get the student home.
It is possible to purchase AM-only service, PM-only service, or both. The fee will be billed through the school’s student billing platform. If you are interested in this bus service, please complete the necessary sign-up documentation during the enrollment process.
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION
| School District of Philadelphia |
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Yellow school bus transportation to and from Friends Select is made available at no cost to children in grades 1-8 who live 1.5-10 miles from the school and are residents of Philadelphia. The School District’s transportation office determines whether a student is eligible for free bus transportation and whether their location can be accommodated by the bus route, and sets the service schedule. |
| School Districts Outside of Philadelphia |
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If you live in PA outside of Philadelphia and are interested in yellow bus transportation to Friends Select, please contact your local school district’s transportation office. In order to qualify, the boundary of your school district must be within 10 miles of Friends Select and your district must already provide transportation to public school students. Districts that currently provide a school bus or a transportation subsidy to students attending Friends Select include:
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PUBLIC TRANSIT: SEPTA & PATCO
| School District Philadelphia SEPTA Student Fare Cards |
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| Friends Select is located blocks from SEPTA’s Center City hub at City Hall, making it a popular choice for students and families traveling to and from school. The School District offers SEPTA Student Fare Cards to eligible students, which provide free transportation on buses, subways, trolleys, and Regional Rail, up to eight "swipes" per day. For younger students, their guardian can also ride on the fare card when accompanying their child. Students in grades 1-12 are eligible for a fare card; students in grades 1-8 must live within 10 miles from the school, and students in grades 9-12 must live 1.5-10 miles from the school as determined by the School District’s software system. The School District makes all eligibility determinations. |
| Other Pennsylvania School Districts |
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Some suburban PA school districts offer SEPTA passes to students, including Cheltenham School District and Lower Merion School District. Most other suburban districts do not offer transpasses for students, however. We recommend inquiring with your local school district’s transportation office to learn more about what they might offer and what restrictions might be in place. |
| SEPTA |
| Friends Select is located two blocks from Suburban Station, a central hub for SEPTA’s regional rail service, making that transportation service an easy way to get to and from school for students living in the PA suburbs. Prices vary based on distance from Friends Select and the train line; see here for more details. |
| PATCO |
| Students attending Friends Select from New Jersey can take the PATCO line to Center City Philadelphia, followed by a short walk to FSS. Prices vary based on distance from Friends Select; see here for more details. |
OTHER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
| School District of Philadelphia Flat Rate Program |
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In order to relieve pressure on its busing fleet, the School District created the Flat Rate Transportation Program, which reimburses families up to $300/month ($3,000/school year) for students who are eligible for yellow bus service but who are driven to/from school instead. Only students 1st-8th grade are eligible for this program. Students must reside in the city of Philadelphia within 10 miles of Friends Select. The School District makes eligibility determinations and requires that students meet monthly attendance thresholds and that families submit a monthly attestation including a Vehicle Identification Number (PIN). For more information about this program, please visit this website. |
