Want to know when it’s time to send the kids to the bus stop? Worried about the roads and buses being late or delayed? Starting next year, parents in the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) will be able to download a free app that will let them track local school buses.
FirstView, a free tracking app for phones, will become available to parents at the start of the school year 2019-2020 to allow them to track student buses.
FirstView allows parents to track bus locations on their designated routes and get an estimated arrival time at their bus stop. Parents with the app will also be able to see when a bus arrives and departs from a school. Parents and caregivers can set up push or email notifications on their devices. This app is free to families and is included in the busing contract.
Community concerns with the amount of time students spend on a bus daily can now be measured and tracked by the app, giving parents and families of students a better sense of their students’ daily transportation times.
FirstView has parents or caregivers log onto the app and make a profile and then the app prompts parents and caregivers to add their students’ bus stop to the profile using student IDs.
To follow a designated bus route, parents must select the state and school district and add their student’s ID.
Parents and caregivers can set up a distance- or time-based reminder to alert them when the bus is near their student’s bus stop or school. The app prompts parents to select a time to activate the reminder and a distance from the stop registered in miles.
The app shows a Google map that indicates the schools within the district, and a pinpoint icon shows the location of each child's bus stop. A bus icon shows the location of the bus and its direction of travel. The app will tell parents when the student has arrived by showing a "Done" symbol.
HELPFUL IN WINTER
When asked what additional benefits the app has, Shannon Wisdom, director of curriculum and assessment, said via email, “FirstView centralizes important operational data such as school arrival and departure times, bus stop arrival and departure times, route changes and more. The HUUSD can use this data to improve route efficiencies where possible. For parents/caregivers, the app provides peace of mind, letting them know: 1) that their student’s bus has arrived at school and 2) if there are any changes to arrival/departure times during the day. The app will be especially helpful during the winter months when buses are more likely delayed or stopped waiting for road crews due to road conditions.” At press time, Wisdom was not available to answer the question of whether the app is available to all district taxpayers, teachers, staff and administrators or only parents and caregivers.
