Florence (Ariz.) Unified School District #1 and Boyertown (Penn.) Area School District are partnering with technology solutions supplier CalAmp to roll out the “Here Comes the Bus” app on their buses. Photo courtesy CalAmp

Florence (Ariz.) Unified School District #1 and Boyertown (Penn.) Area School District are partnering with technology solutions supplier CalAmp to roll out the “Here Comes the Bus” app on their buses. Photo courtesy CalAmp

IRVINE, Calif. — Technology solutions supplier CalAmp recently announced that two more school districts are rolling out its school bus tracking app Here Comes the Bus for the 2019-20 school year.

Florence (Ariz.) Unified School District #1 and Boyertown (Penn.) Area School District are partnering with Synovia Solutions, a subsidiary of CalAmp, to integrate a suite of digital tools on the districts’ buses. The digital tools are designed to improve safety, increase fleet efficiency, and save the districts money, according to a news release from CalAmp.

The free mobile app is created to deliver real-time tracking of school bus locations and real-time email and push notification alerts to help students and parents arrive at the bus stop on time.

“The Here Comes The Bus app is another way we strive to keep parents informed and their children safe,” said Shannon Weber, the director of transportation for Florence Unified School District #1. “Our students will know exactly when to arrive at the bus stop and their parents will know when they are stepping off the bus in the afternoon. The new technology reinforces our commitment to making our buses the safest way to transport students to and from school.”

Dana Budden, the superintendent for Boyertown Area School District, added that the solution aligns with the district’s focus on efficiency, effectiveness, and safety.

“The students spoke and we listened,” Budden said. “We’re excited to help students experience a safer bus ride and for parents to enjoy the convenience and efficiency the app provides.”

Hundreds of school districts from California to New York have recently made the Here Comes The Bus app available to families, including these school districts and school bus contractors in the cities listed below poised to launch around the start of the coming school year:

    • San Marcos, Calif.
    • Elk Grove, Calif.
    • Redmond, Ore.
    • Omaha, Neb.
    • Fort Wayne, Ind.
    • Valdosta, Ga.
    • Douglas County, Ga.
    • New York City

Launched in 2015 by Synovia Solutions, the Here Comes the Bus app has more than one million downloads and has earned 4.6 stars on the Apple App store and a spot in the top 50 education-related apps, according to the fleet tracking solutions supplier.

As previously reported, Synovia Solutions was acquired by CalAmp in April, in hopes of accelerating the company’s growth and improving its ability to leverage CalAmp’s telematics solutions and services.

Jon King, senior vice president of Synovia Solutions, added that this summer the company will be rolling out a new customer service portal to ensure parents, educators, and administrators can rely on Synovia for “fast, responsive, and reliable customer service to keep daily alerts tied to on-time bus stop arrivals.”

To download the Here Comes the Bus app, go to the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About the author
Sadiah Thompson

Sadiah Thompson

Assistant Editor

Sadiah Thompson is an assistant editor at School Bus Fleet magazine.

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