New app allows parents to track NYC school bus routes in real time
A new app allowing families to track their students’ bus trips to and from school in real time debuted in New York City on Friday in an effort to improve transparency and performance efficiency of the city’s bus vendors.
The NYC School Bus App was developed in collaboration with the software company Via Transportation. Home to the nation’s largest school district, there are more than 150,000 students in New York City who rely on bus transportation each day to commute to school, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ office.
“The NYC School Bus App exemplifies this administration’s commitment to leveraging technology to provide working families with immediate access to trusted information that improves their lives,” New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser said in a release. “This free tool demonstrates the importance of our continuous efforts by supplying families with real-time knowledge and an invaluable sense of comfort about their child’s community to and from school.”
Parents or caregivers can access the app by using their New York City Schools accounts and student ID numbers. To track routes, bus drivers must subscribe to the app. So far more than 75% of assigned routes are available to view on the app, according to the release.
Parents can request routes be added to the app by contacting the corresponding bus company. More features are expected to be added to the app as community members provide feedback, including expected arrival times, time and location of drop-offs and notifications about delays.
