Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District to roll out MyRide bus app and pre-K/kindergarten scan cards to improve student transportation safety
Summary
Transportation director said the MyRide pilot (real-time bus tracking) will expand districtwide, out-of-district transports are back in-house, and pre-K/kindergarten bus scan cards (affixed to backpacks) will be issued before school starts to prevent children from disembarking at incorrect stops.
Portland Public Schools' transportation leaders briefed the board on summer operations and safety upgrades, including a pilot of the MyRide app and the introduction of pre-K and kindergarten bus scan cards.
Transportation Director Ben Lacivoi said the system transported 498 students for summer programs and piloted the MyRide app for ESY families, which "gives families the opportunity to see bus locations, pull up schedules, for their students, and it's in real time." He said the app will be available districtwide and that directions to the app will be distributed in English, French and Spanish; staff noted Tyler Technologies currently supports three languages and that additional languages could be added later.
Lacivoi said the district has brought out-of-district transports back in-house and is training driver trainees recruited through Portland Adult Education. He also outlined new safety measures: pre-K and kindergarten scan cards will be distributed and affixed to backpacks so drivers can scan students boarding and leaving buses; if a child is at the wrong stop the tablet will display a red screen alerting the driver.
Board members raised operational questions about logistics and who will manage cards; staff explained cards will be affixed to backpacks and are assigned to the student, reducing teacher/parent handling concerns.
The transportation team said routing and schedules will be finalized with routes distributed to families on Aug. 18 via ReachMyTeach and a link to the MyRide/Tyler app.
Ending note: Staff acknowledged continued iteration and training in the early weeks of the year and said they aim to reduce driver vacancies and improve route safety.
