Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District completes GPS installs on buses; Transfinder parent app and additional safety features to follow
Summary
The district and Quigley bus service completed GPS installs on buses over the weekend; administration expects to pilot and then roll out a parent app (Transfinder) in the coming weeks and continues to pursue bus‑patrol camera grants and other rider‑identification options.
During board comment on Aug. 26, administration and Quigley bus service representatives gave an update on transportation technology and safety measures.
Administration said nearly 200 GPS units were installed on buses over a roughly two‑week period and were completed the weekend before school began so Quigley could monitor buses for safety. The next step is to link the GPS fleet to the Transfinder parent‑app system (sometimes called a "transfinder" or rider app) so parents can see bus location and receive arrival proximity information. Administration said it plans pilots and an initial parent rollout possibly within about 30 days, pending successful connectivity testing.
Board members also discussed additional features sometimes bundled with GPS systems, including student ID swipe cards that register when students board and leave a bus, and a bus‑patrol camera program. A board member noted a quoted implementation cost for an ID/swipe‑card program reported in discussion as roughly $26,000 for implementation and approximately $3,350 per year to maintain; administration said these additional features were evaluated but that the district’s priority in the short term was GPS connectivity and internal monitoring for safety. Quigley has also submitted grant applications to install bus‑patrol cameras on high‑priority buses; administration said they are awaiting grant decisions.
Administration said it will send a targeted communication to parents before the end of the week to explain the GPS work completed and the timeline for parent access to the app, acknowledging some families reported they had not seen earlier notifications in the district newsletter.
Why it matters: parents and guardians rely on bus location information and rider‑identification features for student safety and peace of mind; the district’s staged approach prioritizes internal safety monitoring first and parent access after technical connections are validated.
