longer if there’s bad weather,” Harrison noted “For work- ing parents who can’t be home, students get a bus card that has a bar code on it. We have them scan on and off the bus and their parents are notified.” Harrison said the system is only used during school hours and the information is specific to their child. “They can’t see anyone else’s child,” he said. “This is for security.” Harrison said HCTB provides turn by turn directions
for the bus drivers, and a time clock. “It is a pretty incredi- ble piece of equipment. If [a student] scanned on we have a record,” Harrison said. “A nice bonus was when COVID hit, we could see who was on a bus and when. Because it records each scan you know how long they were on the bus. If a student or driver tested positive for COVID, you could see who was exposed and for how long.” Harrison said his district is also piloting a photo ID from
Cal/Amp so when a child scans onto a bus, his or her image will appear on the driver’s tablet. “The drivers love it, too, because when they scan, they can see if this is an unauthorized rider or not,” Harrison said. “So, if the child is getting on the wrong bus the driver knows it right away.” Harrison added that the system is self-explanatory but that a Cal/Amp tutorial is offered online.
Another new rollout of student ridership app occurred this past school year at Ballard Community School Dis- trict in Iowa, which uses the Tyler Drive tablet onboard buses as well as the My Ride K-12 app, formerly known as Ride 360. Transportation Director Nathan Renz com- mented that the tablets themselves are valuable tools especially for substitute bus drivers. “Being a small rural district, we have several turn
around stops. These tablets have made that easier for our subs to know where to turn around at,” he added. “The tablets have made them more comfortable and confident in the sub routes.” And the My Ride K-12 app has allowed Ballard to be
more transparent and have better open lines of com- munication with the families. One parent who wished to remain anonymous called the app “amazing,” as it not only notifies where the students are but if the buses are delayed. Another parent said the district ensured all who use it are comfortable with the technology. “It has definitely helped many parents out, and our bus
director did an excellent job at training the town to use it,” said Victoria Mendoza. “Our whole town loves the app.” ●
QUAL IT Y MAT TERS
42 School Transportation News • MARCH 2023
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