Citizen Portal
Sign In

District rolls out bus‑ride app; staff report mostly positive early feedback

5744973 · September 9, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Transportation staff briefed the board on the new bus‑ride app rollout, reporting a successful pilot, 95% positive parent feedback in the first days of school, driver acceptance and features that include turn‑by‑turn navigation, parent ETA alerts and attendance tracking.

The Oregon City School District launched a new bus‑ride application on the first day of school and reported early positive results to the board on Sept. 8.

Sabrina Beckel, the district’s transportation supervisor, said the system was piloted during summer programs and went fully live Sept. 2. She said the app provides drivers with turn‑by‑turn directions and voice guidance and gives parents real‑time estimated arrival times once a driver starts a route. "We went live, fully on the first day of school, 9/2," Beckel said. "We've had about 95% positive feedback from parents."

The parent app relies on school data to send invitations only to guardians linked to a student in the district’s student information system. Once a driver begins a route, the app updates ETAs every two seconds and can push notifications when a route is substantially delayed. Beckel said the system also supports driver attendance taking on the bus and a routing web map that allows routers to place stops at precise street‑level locations.

Drivers who piloted the program reported it made routing easier; Beckel quoted one driver who said it was "the easiest thing I have probably ever done." Staff also noted early technical issues with some rollovers and invitations that the district is addressing. Several board members and parents in the meeting praised the system’s safety and convenience, and one board member encouraged families to install the app to follow routes.

Beckel said the district will continue to resolve rollout issues, support families who did not receive invitations and gather feedback from drivers and administrators. "This wouldn't have been all possible without all of you," she told the board, thanking the board for approving the technology.

No formal board action was taken; staff said they will continue monitoring the pilot and report back on operational metrics and outstanding technical issues.