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Board approves Wayfinder bus-tracking software to record ridership, improve alerts and pursue Medicaid reimbursements
Summary
Bridgeport approved Transfinder’s Wayfinder software to take daily ridership attendance, alert parents on route deviations and create Medicaid reimbursement opportunities; first-year cost presented at $54,350, with lower annual rates later.
PJ, the district’s transportation presenter, described Wayfinder software as a tool to take attendance on buses, improve safety and enable parent alerts. “This product...is gonna allow us to be able to, in a sense, take attendance on children who actually get on the bus each day,” PJ said during the presentation.
The presentation listed three potential benefits: safety (knowing who is on each bus), improved ridership data to optimize routes and possible Medicaid reimbursement for eligible rides. PJ told the board the first-year cost would be $54,350 (including on-site driver training), with subsequent annual fees quoted at lower rates. The presenter noted the vendor can integrate with the district’s PowerSchool student information system and pull student photos to match riders.
Board members pressed for an estimate of Medicaid revenue; presenters said the district did not yet have a reliable estimate and will pilot the data collection to determine reimbursement potential. The board approved the contract and asked staff to return with an estimate of Medicaid recoveries and a list of neighboring jurisdictions using the product.
Next steps: vendor onboarding, driver training and pilot data collection to assess Medicaid reimbursement and route consolidation opportunities.
