RideAlong to Provide Transportation for Chicago Public Schools
School transportation providers RideAlong is experiencing growth as it enters new markets — offering a solution for districts facing school bus shortages — and now comes to the Windy City.

Families who use RideAlong for their school transportation also receive the ability to track their child's whereabouts through GPS technology provided by the company.
Photo courtesy of Pedro Lastra via Unsplash
RideAlongNow Inc. announced that it will provide student transportation for Chicago Public Schools (CPS).
The company says families in Chicago will be matched with dependable, safe drivers who will work with the school district and students' caregivers to meet the needs of the communities. The drivers are regular, recurring transportation providers for the families they support.
"It's our honor to be called upon by Chicago Public Schools to provide a solution for safe, reliable, transparent student transportation," says RideAlong Co-Founder and COO Christine Kennedy. "The school bus shortage is impacting students coast-to-coast. RideAlong's drivers put students first, meeting all mandates and following strict health and safety protocols. They are looking forward to supporting Chicago families with school transportation services."
All RideAlongNow drivers are fully vetted to ensure they meet RideAlong's standards.
"We have explored many solutions to safely transport our Chicago Public Schools students to and from school, and are confident RideAlong will provide our students and their families with safe and reliable transportation services," adds CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.
RideAlong says that its model is unique, where drivers are employees, not contractors, who live in and around the communities they serve. Families of the students have the ability to track their child's whereabouts through access to GPS technology provided by RideAlong.
More Management

5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →
