Tiffin City Schools board approves Transfinder bus‑management system to add route tracking and parent notifications

The Tiffin City Schools Board voted to approve an agreement to purchase Transfinder bus‑management software, a tablet‑based routing and tracking system the district says will improve safety and parent communication.

Presenter Mister Connor described features including turn‑by‑turn directions for drivers, student photos on tablets, real‑time bus location monitoring and deviation alerts. "It shows where every bus is at at all times throughout the round," Connor said, adding that the system can notify parents and allow staff to document incidents in the app.

Board members asked how the system would handle field trips and bus changes. Connor said field trips would not be tracked in the same way unless students were individually registered for the trip; if a bus broke down, the system can be moved into a spare bus and send targeted notifications to affected parents rather than an entire route. "The system knows exactly what students have gotten off already," he said.

Supporters emphasized safety for substitute drivers and improved parent peace of mind. A motion to approve the Transfinder agreement passed on a roll‑call vote.

The board recorded no specific dollar figure for the contract in the meeting transcript; presenters noted a $10,000 discount associated with the agreement and that the current agreement expires at the end of the month. The district said it has been researching and piloting the product for several years before bringing it back for approval.

Next steps: the district will implement the tablets and parent app and begin rollout in coordination with transportation staff and vendors.