Gone are the days of wondering where the school bus is and whether your child got on in time.
Central Okanagan Public Schools announced Thursday that their bus fleet is now equipped with software that enhances student safety, increases fleet efficiency and improves communication with parents, drivers and schools.
Software on a tablet mounted in school buses will provide telematics, allowing for real-time monitoring of each school bus, and provide the bus driver with turn-by-turn route directions and bus stop placement.
The buses now also have an integrated bus pass system, which uses technology to monitor when students get on and off the school bus and provides bus drivers with a confirmed list of students who are riding on the school bus.
In turn, parents will be able to download a “My Ride” app in the 2024-25 school year that will allow them to track and receive real-time updates on their child’s bus route.
To use this, students using a school bus route will get a bus pass to scan when boarding and leaving the bus.
The email you need for the day’s
top news stories from Canada and around the world.
When a bus arrives at a scheduled stop, the assigned students will be identified on the tablet, the school district explained.
“If a student accidentally boards an incorrect bus, or disembarks at an unassigned stop, the system will alert the driver,” the district said.
Transportation Services will distribute bus pass cards during May and inform parents and school staff about the new technology and what to expect with the changes.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
