School system using app to help parents track buses
DURHAM (WTVD) -- Parents who want to keep track of the school buses their children ride are people Durham Public Schools are counting on these days.
This story was originally published in 2015.
DPS is the state's first school system using an online tracker called Here Comes the Bus - and ABC11 got a look at how it works during a demonstration Tuesday morning.
Parents can download the free app to their smartphones, or go online to the website, and set it up to send push alerts as a bus heads toward their homes.
We're told it gives parents an accurate estimated time of arrival at the bus stop or the school.
How to get started
- Visit herecomesthebus.com
- Click the Sign Up Today! Button
- Enter school code 97034 and click "Next" followed by "Confirm"
- Complete the "User Profile" box
- Under "My Students," click "Add". Enter the student's last name and student ID number
- Confirm the information and you're ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!
The concept is applauded by parents we met at the School for Creative Studies Tuesday, during the Here Comes the Bus demonstration.
They say it helps them make the most of their time at home preparing their children to ride, and waiting for their return.
"Once I get the push notification, I know I can make it to the bus stop before the bus gets there," said Shawn Svoboda-Barber, father of a sixth grader. "So I use that as a handy way to utilize my time at home and not just sitting at the bus stop, waiting."
Kim Jackson, mother of twin seventh grade girls, agreed.
"It helps most in the afternoons when you haven't seen them all day and you're like, where are they now," she said.
School officials say using the free app should be a major benefit for parents who worry about the safety of school buses.
It's exclusive to Durham for now, but school authorities expect calls from other cities, seeking advice on setting up a similar program.
