Greene County CSD unveils bus tracking application, went live Monday

Special to the Jefferson Herald

Keeping track of local students became a bit easier for parents in the Greene County Community School District.

The school launched a parent/guardian bus tracking app called Stopfinder on Monday, Jan. 30. It will allow parents and guardians to accurately track their children’s school bus in real-time. The easy-to-use app is secure so only authorized users will have access to school bus information.
Stopfinder, created by the district’s routing software company, Transfinder, is free to parents and guardians. With this app parents can view their child’s bus stop, bus schedule, and eventually be able to set up geo alert notifications. The purchase, from Transfinder, the district’s current transportation software provider, will cost Greene County $5,000 per school year.

The app will be rolled out in two phases.
Phase 1: Parents will receive an email from the school, inviting them to Stopfinder. The district anticipates these invitations to be sent on Jan. 30. Once parents download and set up the app, basic bus information (bus number, bus stop, bus pick up and drop off times) will be available for viewing.

Phase 2: The district will install GPS devices in 15 route buses, giving parents gps information on the bus’ real-time location, and the district anticipates these gps capabilities will be in place later in the year. Parents may then set up geo alert notifications.

When viewing bus pick up and drop off times, it is important for parents to remember that these times are approximate. The following factors impact bus times and cause delays: weather conditions, traffic/construction, and which students may or may not ride on any given day. Geo alert notifications will give parents peace of mind when a bus is delayed.

Parents whose students have specialized transportation and ride in a school van will not have routing information displayed in the app.

Although this app has the capability of two-way communication between parents and the transportation department, the feature will not be enabled for parents initially; the district is still requesting that parents call Jill at 515-386-4168 to make bus changes. The transportation dept, however, will have the ability to message parents through the app with any important bus-related announcements; subscribers are encouraged to turn these notifications on in their phone’s settings. The district will continue to update their website and social media with pertinent bus information.
More information on the tracking app can be found Stopfinder.com. A short video detailing how the app works can be viewed at https://youtu.be/PAX9idBPL-s