Transportation Management Software, bus scheduling software, school bus scheduling software, school bus management software
Transportation managers, are you keeping track of your full student ridership from day to day? It's not enough to simply track attendance records. Tracking every student rider requires a bit of extra hardware and software, but can absolutely pay off in the long run!
How Student Riders Can Be Tracked
There are a few different methods, but most require you to have trackable student ID cards and some sort of scanner on the bus. This could be cards with barcodes or QR codes, or cards with embedded RFID chips that automatically connect to radios on the bus. Some systems, like the ROUTEpatrol Tablet App, allow drivers to manually collect student ridership with buttons on the device, in the event that a student forgets their card or your district doesn't use them.
Then these scanning systems send the ridership data to a central database in your office. From there, the data is easily mined or turned into reports.
Benefits of Tracking Student Riders
The extra expense of installing tracking systems can pay off in several ways over time.
1 - Fewer lost students
One of the nightmare scenarios is a child getting off at the wrong stop unnoticed, or otherwise being 'lost' in the system. Sometimes children even manage to be forgotten on the bus itself, such as falling asleep in the back.
With a tracking system, this is far less of a concern. The scanners will alert the driver if a student gets on or off at the wrong stop, so many such incidents can be avoided entirely. Or even if the child gets off the bus without being stopped, you'll have an electronic record of their departure.
2 - An easier time fielding parent calls
Too much of your time is undoubtedly spent on "Where is my child?" calls from parents. With GPS and student ID tracking systems, such calls can be answered quickly and authoritatively. You will always know where their child is.
Tracking systems can also be combined with a parental notification app, so that parents can self-serve that information - and further cut down on calls!
3 - Improved state reporting
Your state funding requires detailed and accurate reports on student riders. Errors in reporting can cost you real money! When your software is automatically collecting ridership data, and can even help you prepare reports, you'll be able to claim every dollar you're owed.
BusBoss offers the technology you need to optimize your bus fleet, at reasonable prices. Contact us to learn more about our products and services!
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Buy One Get One – Buy ROUTEpatrol Tablet App and get PARENTpatrol Mobile App for FREE.
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