BusRight has expanded its safety capabilities with the launch of Safety Pass, a new NFC-based solution that gives drivers, administrators, and families real-time access to student boarding and drop-off data. By providing transportation teams with immediate answers to questions, especially during emergencies, Safety Pass helps districts strengthen communication, improve response times and reassure families, the company said in an announcement.

The solution aims to ease the process for school districts to confirm where a student boarded or exited the bus, especially during unexpected situations. Safety Pass allows transportation teams to forgo chaotic scrambling and secure a live, time-stamped record of student boarding and drop-off activity through BusRight's existing transportation management platform.

Student privacy is central to Safety Pass, BusRight said. The tool uses NFC-enabled badges that do not contain personal student information and can only be read in proximity to the BusRight tablet. The company said there is no costly equipment, complex setup or ongoing fees, and Safety Pass integrates directly into BusRight’s existing platform.

“Transportation teams are responsible for making sure all students get where they need to go safely, and they need tools that support that mission without adding unnecessary challenges,” said Zac Cohn, senior director of strategic operations at BusRight. "Safety Pass brings student ridership tracking directly into the BusRight platform, providing districts with a simple, reliable way to strengthen transportation operations and giving families peace of mind."

Sevier County School District in Tennessee will fully integrate Safety Pass into its transportation operations this month, supporting the district’s 10,000-student bus system throughout Kodak, Seymour, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge. Sevier County manages a complex transportation system across highly populated communities and rural mountain neighborhoods with unique operational challenges, and the new technology will improve student safety and strengthen communication with families.

“Parents often contact schools or district offices to locate their kid, which creates an all-hands-on-deck situation requiring coordination between school administrators, transportation teams and drivers to quickly provide families with answers,” said Tony Ogle, assistant superintendent of student services at Sevier County Schools. “With Safety Pass, we can rapidly access information that otherwise would require an hour or more to collect, allowing us to respond faster, reassure families and quickly account for student whereabouts.”