New tool will provide parents and caregivers peace of mind as students travel to and from school
Jan. 19, 2024 (NEW YORK, NY) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor David C. Banks today launched the new, citywide NYC School Bus App that provides peace of mind to families with students who ride yellow school buses by allowing them to track their students’ bus trips in real-time. For a city with the largest school district in the nation — busing approximately 150,000 students each day — the launch is a critical step in the Adams administration’s effort to provide better service to DOE families and improving systemwide accountability, transparency, and performance of bus vendors.
“From the start, our administration has set a new standard for how government uses technology to serve hard-working families,” said Mayor Adams. “New York families are busy all day long, and the NYC School Bus App will make their lives a little easier by helping them manage pick-ups and drop-offs right from their home computers or smartphones, while giving them additional comfort as they follow the bus route’s their young children take on their way to and from school.”
“Every eligible student has a right to transportation service that truly serves them. I’m thrilled to be launching this system for families across the city and to provide peace of mind to parents as they send their babies off to school each day,” said DOE Chancellor Banks. “I’m thankful to our partners in the City Council who helped advocate for this tool for our school communities, and for our bus vendors and drivers for working in partnership with us to roll this out for families.”
“The NYC School Bus App exemplifies this administration's commitment to leveraging technology to provide working families with immediate access to trusted information that improves their lives,” said New York City Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “This free tool demonstrates the importance of our continuous efforts by supplying families with real-time knowledge and an invaluable sense of comfort about their child's commute to and from school.”
The NYC School Bus App — developed in collaboration with Via — is a partnership between bus drivers, families, and schools. For families to utilize the NYC School Bus App, the assigned route driver must be subscribed to the platform. Subscription rates across the city are currently greater than 75 percent.
If a specific route is not available to be tracked during a student’s designated busing hours, parents can reach out to their school bus company to let them know that their driver is not subscribed and request that the driver sign up.
In order to access the platform, families will need access to their New York City Schools Account (NYCSA) and have their student’s ID number. If families don’t have a NYCSA account, they can learn how to get started online or by contacting their school.
As families and community members provide feedback on the app, the DOE will make updates and add new features, including the expected arrival time of the school bus, information about the time and location where their child is getting on and off the school bus, and notifications about delays.
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