CHICAGO — Four school districts here are launching the SafeStop app through a partnership with bus company Olson Transportation.

Parents and school officials in Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65, Lake Forest School District 67, Lake Forest Community High School District 115 and Deerfield School District 109 will now be able to safely and securely connect in real time with their children’s school bus.

The launch adds to the vehicles already utilizing the app in large public school systems and small private schools throughout the country, with more vehicles being added regularly, company officials said.

“We are finding that as parents across North America learn more about SafeStop and the app’s features and benefits, they realize how it is a ‘must have’ app,” said Patrick Gallagher, director of sales for SafeStop. “It allows parents to know where their child’s bus is and really provides them peace of mind while allowing for the convenience of not having to wait out in the cold too long as temperatures drop and the winter weather comes into play.”

Created in 2013, SafeStop allows parents and school officials to securely track the school bus, according to the company. The app includes a secure registration process, real-time map feature that displays the location of their child’s bus, provides estimated times of arrival at their bus stop, and provides parents with an alerts and messaging center. The messaging center serves as an extra channel of communication that alerts parents about important school news such as delays, closings, early dismissals or upcoming school events, and eliminates the need for phone calls to schools or bus depots.

Additionally, school officials are using the data provided by SafeStop to establish and review key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide ridership reports for their transportation system so they can compare, evaluate and optimize their on-time performance, company officials said.

“School officials are raising their customer service level for parents by providing SafeStop, but also finding that the administration reports we provide are a great management tool to measure KPIs and potentially lower the cost of their operations,” Gallagher said.

To learn more about the SafeStop app, visit www.SafeStopApp.com.