Roswell ISD and Pollard Bus Company demo Transfinder routing system; parents, trustees debate student tracking options

Roswell — The Roswell Independent School District on Sept. 9 heard a detailed demonstration of Transfinder transportation software from Pollard Bus Company that district and contractor staff said will centralize routing, stop assignments and parent information and tie directly to PowerSchool.

Pollard representative Scott Walker said the district chose three Transfinder modules — RouteFinder Plus, ViewFinder and InfoFinder i — after vendor demos and comparisons. "RouteFinder Plus is pretty much for the school district and the bus contractors," Walker said, adding the system "geocodes the location of our students" and automatically assigns bus stops and bus numbers when a student record appears in PowerSchool.

Why it matters: District staff and the contractor said the software creates real-time route rosters, helps identify potential overcrowding early and lets schools and parents view exact stop locations on a map. Trustees pressed staff on privacy, cost and operational details as the district completes a multi-year rollout.

Board members and staff discussed three user groups: district/contractor planners, school staff and parents. Walker described ViewFinder as a tool for school offices to pull rosters and schedules and InfoFinder i as a public-facing web tool where parents can type an address and see bus eligibility, stop maps and pick-up/drop-off times.

The demonstration included several operational details: implementation took about 18 months; the district signed a three-year agreement; Transfinder syncs with PowerSchool so student additions are reflected the next day; the contractor uses T-Mobile for bus GPS; and the baseline is a subscription model with higher first-year implementation costs because the vendor helped build initial routes.

Board members asked specifically about student tracking and parent notification. Trustee Cynthia Sanchez asked, "Is this actually happening right now?" Walker replied that GPS location is live and that several districts had gone further with badge scanning to notify parents when a child boarded and left the bus. Trustee John French asked, "Is there anything like that we could possibly implement?" Walker said Transfinder offers badge scanning and notifications, but he and other presenters cautioned about logistics and ongoing costs: badges can be lost, replacements can cost about $10–$15 per card, and a badge program requires a policy for lost or forgotten badges.

On police integration, Walker said the system is not currently connected to the local police department. "If there's a situation that you think you need to call 911, call 911," Walker said, noting the district and contractor still advise drivers to contact emergency services directly.

Superintendent Luck and district staff said they will weigh features and costs with attention to privacy, safety and budget. No board action was taken; Walker and district staff said they will return with additional cost details and implementation recommendations.

Ending: The district’s transportation presenter said the Transfinder tools give the district new visibility into potential route overcrowding and faster response to start-time changes; staff said further work remains to determine whether to add badge scanning or parent-notification features and how to fund them.