First Student, North America's largest student transportation contractor, just announced new enhancements to First View, the company's parent app.

The app brings traditional yellow bus and First Alt alternative transportation into one connected experience, giving parents one place to stay informed with real-time visibility, communication, and support.

First View's New Features and Enhancements for the 2026–2027 School Year

• Track multiple students in one app, regardless of the type of vehicle they ride to school.
• Expanded language support, now available in 15 languages including English, Spanish, Canadian French, Arabic, Chinese, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Somali, Portuguese, Swahili, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Amharic, Russian, and Pashto.
• Push and in-app notifications when the vehicle arrives for pick-up and drop-off, both at the stop and at school.
• Trip change notifications, including driver, vehicle, and schedule updates, as well as when a student boards or exits the vehicle.
• Service alerts from districts/divisions and locations, including weather changes, delays, and road closures.
• Expanded multilingual customer support, including a First Alt call center that is 50% bilingual, outbound Spanish-language parent outreach, and a dedicated Spanish-language inbound support line for families.
• Parents can track yellow bus routes, alternative transportation, and even charter transportation for summer programs through a single app.

"Providing families with accurate and timely transportation information is important to us," said Lisa Riveros, director of transportation for Wichita Public Schools. "I really like how First View gives parents real-time visibility into their student's transportation so they can stay informed, know what to expect, and have confidence that their child is getting to and from school safely."

Families can share feedback after every trip through First Student's Feedback Portal.

For families who use First Alt, First View provides additional capabilities designed specifically for individualized transportation. Now, parents can:

• View and cancel same-day rides.
• Manage trips scheduled up to 14 days in advance.
• Access driver and vehicle information.
• Receive notifications when their student boards or exits the vehicle.

"The expansion of First View to 15 languages is a tremendous benefit for our families," said Victoria Storti, transportation specialist for Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. "Every parent deserves access to timely transportation information in a language they understand. By offering more language options, First View is helping us create a more inclusive experience, improve communication with families and ensure more parents can stay connected to their student's daily transportation."

The enhancements are being introduced as part of First Student's broader back-to-school readiness efforts.