Parents will now be able to track kids’ commute to and from school with Edulog’s new bus app. The goal of Edulog’s parent portal is to “reduce your staff’s workload and empower parents.”
Parents will no longer have to reach out to school staff after school hours for updates on their kids’ location. GPS allows access to real-time tracking directly to parents’ phones. The software takes advantage of parents’ current use of digital media in an easy-to-navigate portal.
Push notifications provide easy access to commute changes, including possible traffic delays, bus substitutions, and temporary route changes. Information is secure and accurate – parents are given unique and safe logins to get personalized information on their kids. Users need to know a student’s personal information to access location tracking: full name, birth date, school name, grade, and school ID.
Two versions of the app are available: Parent Portal Lite, which provides bus arrival notifications, and a version tied to a route management company with features ranging from Custom Alert Zone Notifications to Transportation Requests.
Edulog has made it easy to customize alerts so that the app can work better for them and their needs.
Parentology got in touch with Edulog CEO Jason Corbally and he explained how he likes to use the app as a parent. An alert labeled “Brush teeth” is set 30 minutes before his child’s bus is set to arrive. It gives him the perfect amount of time to get his kid ready and out for the bus.
The app also cuts out the possible panic that may come when kids are not where they are expected to be. Parents can see the bus stop their child got off on and exactly when they got off the bus. Parents have answers before questions can even be formed.
“All pieces of school transportation are at their fingertips,” said Corbally.
Several school districts have already latched onto the app before its official release. Among them, North Carolina’ New Hanover County School District — approximately 11,000 students use the district’s 145 buses — offers the app for parents. In an interview with WBTV, NHCS Transportation Director Ken Nance said the district spent $12,000 on the technology.
Around 15 to 20 districts have experienced the soft launch this past year and Edulog encourages parents to contact their school board if they are interested in the technology. Edulog’s app is set to go live at the end of September.