Bun — There’s an app for everything, and now one that lets parents track their children’s school bus in real time.
Buna ISD launched the app in November, allowing parents to track their children’s school bus from their smartphone.
“This is not only a way to ensure safety, but also to provide our parents with real-time information on their smartphones as they watch the buses come and go,” said Superintendent Tiffany Spicer.
Many people wait for buses to pick up their children, but that is no longer the case for Tonya Blanchard.
“I use it for my grandchildren,” Blanchard said. “Our driveway is almost half a mile long, so when I’m home, I can monitor the bus and see exactly where it is. If it comes onto my street, I can go there and I’ll be informed that they’re there too.”
The app also has a feature that allows each driver to view the specific routes of each bus, which is especially helpful during the nationwide bus driver shortage.
“BusRight knows the route, so if you’re new on the route and someone is missing or you have a new bus driver, for example,” says Spicer, “they can get on any bus they’ve been assigned and follow that route.”
The district spent about $19,000 on the system, and parents don’t have to pay a cent to sign up.
“I’m glad we made the decision as a district to make this investment,” Spicer said. “I think our transit agencies appreciate it. I think our community, our parents appreciate it, and to me it’s one of the best investments we’ve made to make sure our kids are safe and people feel safe.”
Now parents no longer have to worry about when their child’s bus will arrive.
