Where is the bus?! Parents and students will no longer need to ask this age-old question, thanks to Here Comes The Bus, a user-friendly website and app that enables families to locate their child’s school bus on a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer.
As students begin to return to our schools on Jan. 25, the APS Transportation Department will roll out the new bus-tracking service for regular education students in grades Pre-K–12 who live outside the walk zone and qualify for transportation.
With the Here Comes The Bus service, families will know when the bus is near its designated stop, so they can send their children out at just the right time. The app allows parents and schools to be notified when the bus leaves the school yard, when it is within a one-mile radius of the student’s bus stop, and when it has arrived at school. The app will also notify parents when the bus has left school and when it is within one mile of the student’s stop.
Specifically, Here Comes The Bus uses GPS technology to locate and track a school bus on a designated route. Very similar to ride-sharing applications, buses will show up as an icon on a map, and users can follow its progress as it moves toward their school bus stop. The system also counts down the minutes before the bus arrives at that designated stop.
“Our transportation department is committed to the safety and on-time delivery of students to their schools and homes,” says John Franklin, executive director of the APS Transportation Department. “The Here Comes The Bus application eliminates the age-old question, ‘Where is my bus?’ It allows the transportation department to be more customer-focused, so our families know when the bus is on its way and can follow its progress online.”
To sign up, parents will need their student’s ID number, which is available from the school and is the same number used to view their student’s academic information online (Infinite Campus) and meal program (MySchoolBucks). Atlanta Public Schools’ code – 87794 – is also needed. After completing a brief user profile, the application is ready to use. Multiple students in the same household can be put on the same account. Students also can download the application to their cell phones or other personal devices, using their student ID to log into the program.
Here Comes The Bus is powered by a software from Synovia Solutions. Parents and students can download the program through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or visit https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/65386 to sign up.
