New York City has rolled out the NYC School Bus App, which allows families to track their students’ bus trips in real-time.
“From the start, our administration has set a new standard for how government uses technology to serve hard-working families,” said Mayor Eric 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 routes their young children take on their way to and from school.”
The NYC School Bus App was developed in collaboration with Via and is a partnership between bus drivers, families, and schools. City leaders explained that for families to utilize the NYC School Bus App, the assigned route driver must be subscribed to the platform.
“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 NYC Department of Education (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 city noted that 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 need access to their New York City Schools Account (NYCSA). If families don’t have a NYCSA account, they can learn how to get started online or by contacting their school.
City leaders said the DOE plans to make updates and add new features, including the expected arrival time of the school bus, information about the time and location where a child is getting on and off the school bus, and notifications about delays.
“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.”
