PLANO, Texas — To support the extra preparation needed for the 2020-21 school year, Tyler Technologies has launched an app that aims to help allow school districts to share ridership data without having to implement on-vehicle hardware.

The Tyler Bus Attendance mobile app is designed to be an intuitive and low-cost solution that enables a bus monitor or aide to mark each student present as they board the bus from a list organized by stop order. Users receive accurate daily information, which supports a quick response in case a health concern notification needs to be sent to riders, according to a news release from Tyler Technologies.

Tyler Bus Attendance also enables the creation of bus seating charts, which can be helpful for social distancing. Multiple configurations allow users to automatically skip seats or rows or generate a chart that loads from back to front to minimize rider contact.

The app was created to help school districts address additional challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, including following social distancing guidelines, preparing for new schedules and bell times.

“As school districts must prepare for a number of scenarios this fall, this solution can help improve student safety and expedite crucial communications to school staff and parents,” said Ted Thien, vice president and general manager for Tyler’s student transportation group.