This is a compensated post on behalf of Here Comes The Bus.
The NYC City Council passed a law in January that requires school buses to be equipped with GPS for parents to be able to track their children’s progress, to and from school. The solution needs to be in place by the next school year, 2019-2020. Here Comes The Bus has that solution:
In NYC we read stories constantly about school bus delays. Parents have no idea when to get to the bus stop to pick up their children. Or even drop off, no one wants a child waiting for an hour in the cold or rain, for a school bus.
Knowledge is power. The power to keep your children warm and protected from the elements, and for parents to be able to better schedule their time. The population on New York City is well over eight million people, and a lot of those are students that rely on school buses to get to and from school in the five boroughs.
“It’s pretty straightforward. We can do it for Uber. We can do it on MTA buses. We can do it even on subways, and listen, if the MTA can get this right, it’s scary that the city hasn’t been able to get it right with our yellow buses,” said Ben Kallos, a Democratic City Council member.
Parents are thrilled with this new technology. I am friends with a cashier at my local supermarket, and her daughter is a special needs student who rides a school bus in the Bronx every day. When I shared this information with her, she told me she was excited because some days she would spend an extra hour waiting for her daughter’s school bus. Less wait time in bad weather equals less sick time for students and parents! Almost 100% of special needs kids take buses to school, and these are the most vulnerable children.
Over half of the city’s 10,000 buses are already equipped with GPS tracking, and the rest will follow as this is required by September, 2019. The first month of the school year is notorious for complaints about school bus lateness’s. Here Comes The Bus has the technology NY needs, and is ready to make sure all 10,000 NYC school buses are ready to comply with the new law when school starts in September:
Thanks to our intuitive app, seamless interface and outstanding customer service, we’re growing to connect and protect hundreds of thousands of families from Canada to California.
The Global Positioning System (GPS) on school buses are read by the Here Comes The Bus’s app which then translates that information into an easy to follow program, and customizable map, that works on either a computer, tablet or smartphone, which allows you to see where the bus is and how close it is to your home. Most of us already use a similar service when we order a car from Uber, Lyft, etc.
Features:
-You and your child will know exactly where the bus is.
-No more extra wait time in cold or inclement weather.
-With their new Student Ridership option, parents will know whether or not their child made it on the bus, and if they did, at what time.
-All this information can be accessed whether you’re at home or at work.
-Privacy: Here Comes the Bus encrypts every student’s data. Only an authorized user with the proper ID and password can access it. Parents can only access their children’s information.
Hear how well the Here Comes The Bus App works from folks who know it works:
I think this is so great. I would love to have tho option of knowing where my grangkids’ buses are in case of emergency.
What an amazing idea. My older son rode the bus in Kindergarten and my younger son rode the bus to special ed preschool when he was 3-5. I would have been thrilled to see where they were!
How was this not required years and years ago, so crazy!!! Thank you Here Comes The Bus for getting this done for us!!! And thanks Mitch for sharing!!
This is every parents dream! We need that here!
This is really great but don’t kids have phones with GPS on them already? :0)
No, most elementary school kids do not have phones. At the minimum that is an age group that needs to be on buses that have this service.
Andre doesnt take the school bus but this makes so much sense. Honestly should have been done years ago but am happy that it will finally be a reality.
That is such a neat addition and would be very helpful in an emergency. Very cool!
It is such a welcome decision & every parent deserves this facility.It is such comforting for them.
This is one of those things that you think should have happened years ago. I’m glad they are doing it now.
That is such great news! It would be a great help!
That’s pretty cool! I have a little brother and were always standing out in the cold forever waiting for him to arrive because the time always fluctuates.
What a great idea! It makes perfect sense and am surprised it hasn’t been rolled out sooner!
I love this idea; can really put a parent’s mind at ease to know where their kids are in the protection of others!
This is a really cool idea! Great for parents.
This is great news! I’m excited for the schools in NYC and the technology they’ll be receiving. Yay!
This is an amazing and thoughtful initiative. Kids would be safer now. I wish this will start at my place too.
This is groundbreaking and so happy NYC is initiating this. I truly hope this goes nationwide for all school buses in America.
Putting GPS on school buses is such a good move. I know all parents and guardians with kids on those buses would welcome this move. Tracking where their children are would be such a relief especially for parents and guardians who have kids with special needs.
That is such an awesome thing to have in the school buses! I wish they would get those here in California!
What a fabulous idea! I can’t help but think why didn’t we have this years ago, but I guess better late than never!
This is a fantastic idea! Absolutely brilliant!
That is cool!!!!
Awesome idea!!