APPS
A Parent Perspective
A new tablet for school bus drivers and administrators that integrates routing, student tracking data makes perfect sense to Dallas County Schools brain trust of (from left) school board member Larry Duncan, Executive Diretor of Transportation Aaron Hobbs and Superintendent Dr. Rick Sorrells.
T
month is to equip the rest of the 2,000-bus fleet. Te custom-built Tyler Drive
provides encrypted routes and on-bus management resources. Tis includes the aforementioned student tracking interface with the Versatrans My Stop app that displays student photos and names by route and records entry and exit via an RFID card scan. And kids being kids, school bus drivers can manual- ly check in or check out students if they forget their identification cards. “Te old way we did it with just
the cards was complicated,” Hobbs said. “If students forgot their card we had to have a backup, and then it looked like we had an additional kid on the route.” At this writing, Dallas County was only using Versatrans My Stop for its special education riders, but Hobbs said student tracking will soon be available on all routes, as well. Dr. Rick Sorrells, superintendent
for Dallas County Schools, said efficiency is a favorite word among school board members and parents,
alike. He added that the Dallas County school board continuously needs quick and accurate informa- tion to make financial decisions on the introduction or expansion of programs, and the ability of the Drive tablet to quickly and cost effectively create multiple reports fits this need to a tee. Another flash word, of course, is security. So it didn’t take long to receive approval to implement Drive for this school year, which began on Aug. 22. “We wanted to provide parents with more options to know about the transportation of their child. Tis includes things like when the student got on the bus, when they arrived at school and potent ial notifications about delays or issues with the transportation,” he shared. “From a taxpayer perspec- tive, everything is mechanized. Tis allows near real-time report- ing statistics and saves tremendous manpower which means saving costs (tax dollars).” But Drive goes much further, as Sorrells explained, and as company
42 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2016
here really is an app for everything, as parents of school bus riders are learning. Transportation departments like using student tracking and bus
arrival apps because they reduce the time spent fielding parent calls and concerns about location. Parents like them because can know where their child is by simply opening the apps in their smartphones. “Parents are looking for apps that can help them plan around their busy sched- ules and make sure their children can get to and from school safely,” said Patrick Gallagher, director of sales for SafeStop, a school bus tracking app. “They want a higher level of communication from the district or transportation staff and SafeStop helps bridge that gap.” For students in middle and high school
who have their own smartphones, bus tracking apps also prove to be helpful. “Some parents have reported that when their children access the app, they are more motivated to get out the door on time to catch the bus,” said Elizabeth James, director of product strategy at Synovia Solutions, of the Here Comes the Bus, bus tracking app. Rochelle Brewster, a parent who has
used Here Comes the Bus, said the app has made a difference for her and her family. “Here Comes the Bus app has drastically
improved our mornings. My children go to school at varying times on different buses so keeping up used to be a challenge. Now we don’t have to guess when the bus will arrive or if my kids made it home safely. It is one less thing I have to worry about each day,” she said.
-Jeanette Reveles
CELEBRATING25YEARS
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