Poplar Bluff R-I will be among the first in the region to launch a bus tracker so caregivers district-wide can attain more predictability during the transportation cycle.
Here Comes The Bus, the new parent access tool, offers families the ability to monitor the arrival and departure of buses in real time with push notifications sent automatically to a smartphone device or via the web.
“It literally takes the guesswork out for parents—the non-knowing, the uncertainty of what time my student was dropped off at school,” said Jon McKinney, who is entering his second year as district transportation director. “It also helps parents better foresee, knowing the weather’s inclement, what time they need to leave or send a sibling out.
“Ultimately it’s a safety feature for parents,” McKinney continued. "To my knowledge, we’re the first in the area to incorporate something like this.”
Personnel from the Transportation Department have been stationed at each school building during open house this week to help patrons sign up for the service. Instructions have been provided to guardians on how to download the app or access the function online upon entering a unique school code supplied as well as the requisite student identification information.
This school year, students will scan a barcode on their district-issued ID when entering and exiting the bus. The tool also has the ability to track multiple bus riders simultaneously in a given household. Drivers additionally have access to a touchscreen with a name-based ridership module if needed for lower grade levels. The geofence can be set between 750 feet and two miles, based on a house’s proximity to the school.
The locator refreshes every 30 seconds using a single primary address drawn from the district’s student information system. Individuals may only sign up to receive the SMS or email push notifications if they are on the child’s emergency contact list.
The district piloted the application in the spring at the Early Childhood and Kindergarten centers with a test group of about 30 parents in order to help troubleshoot, reported software technician Josh Ivy, who joined the department soon after McKinney took the helm.
Maribel Zimmerman, who was part of the soft rollout, has a kindergarten son Kolin, who scanned on and off the bus each day. The parent was also able to observe the buses of Kolin’s two siblings, who are elementary-aged.
“It’s really accurate,” Zimmerman stated. “I’d get a little ping saying the bus was in range, and I would immediately know. It’s helped me, 100 percent. If they take that out, it would be a lot more of a hassle. It’s an awesome app!”
Zimmerman, who lives in the Eugene Field section of the district, recalled how she would previously call the bus garage when attempting to determine whether her children had missed their ride to school at the bus stop. Her bus driver, Jason Davis, explained how the app helps clear up any uncertainty. “It tells you when exactly the child has gotten on the bus, when they have gotten to school, when they have gotten back on after school, and when the child’s home – so it’s just continuous communication,” Davis said.
The district purchased the GPS-based fleet management system through Synovia Solutions CalAmp during the 2021/22 school year using startup dollars from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund to integrate the technology with Transfinder, the routing software previously acquired.
“We didn’t want to rush it; we wanted the data to be good and reliable – because it’s something that could sustain the department for years,” Ivy said. “It’s super necessary for a district our size. It really is.”
Poplar Bluff Schools has approximately 2,200 daily riders on over 200 bus routes, with a fleet of around 50 buses. The bus garage may be contacted by calling 573-785-5801.
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Cutline: The R-I Transportation Department lines up its bus fleet behind the Mule Barn in March over spring break in preparation for its annual safety inspection administered by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.