DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — Downingtown Area School District (DASD) will begin using the SafeStop school bus application this fall.

The app will connect the district's approximately 25,000 parents and its school officials to the vehicles transporting their students.

DASD services about 14,000 students at 10 elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. More than 190 school vehicles, which feature Verizon Networkfleet GPS systems, will be “SafeStop ready” next school year.

DASD parents using SafeStop will be able to sign up through the school district's parent portal and then securely register online, download the app and use it when the 2015-16 school year begins. The app provides parents and caretakers with a real-time map feature that displays the location of their child's bus, estimated arrival times at their bus stop, and an alerts and messaging center to relay service information from the school or transportation provider.

"Not only should SafeStop provide peace of mind and a new level of convenience for our parents, but it will help us analyze in real-time how our transportation system is performing,” DASD Transportation Supervisor Jeffrey Simmons said. “When our families can know where their bus is and when to expect it at the bus stop, it makes everyone's day a lot easier."

The SafeStop app is accessible from any device connected to the Internet. It first became available to select school districts in New York, Florida and South Carolina last fall and is expanding to schools and universities across the U.S. and soon in Canada.

For more information, go to www.safestopapp.com.