Introduction
Chancellor’s Regulation A-802(Open external link) sets forth the provisions that govern mandatory installation and use of equipment and/or devices for the purpose of recording, reporting, or transmitting information regarding the location of vehicles and/or students.
Overview
The following information delineates the given areas designed to support and provide greater transparency into student transportation, as well as make busing operations more efficient. The focus areas include:
- Routing: upgrade route design and management systems to be more efficient
- Fleet: update NYCPS’s vehicle tracking and management systems
- GPS Tracking for Vehicles: provide location data about vehicles while they take students to and from school
- Ridership: verify when and where a student boards and exits a school bus
- Real-time Communications: provide information to bus staff, schools, and families about student transportation to and from school
More information on the initiative can be found on NYCPS's NYC Student Transportation Modernization Plan Page NYC Student Transportation Modernization Plan Page.
Definition of Terms
In order to meet the above requirements, NYCPS makes the following technology modules available, designed to meet the needs of all stakeholders.
School Operating Console (SOC): The SOC is the administrative console that will provide school users, school bus companies, and NYCPS admin users with the ability to view the location of the bus route and ridership information in real-time as well as historically
The SOC will be referred to as NYCPS/Schools/SBC Admin Console and will be primarily used for tracking routes, driver subscriptions, and student ridership
Bus Driver App: The Driver App will record the driver, route, and vehicle combination that is performing a route on any given day and obtain the GPS information for the real-time location of the bus on the route
NYC School Bus App: The NYC School Bus App will provide caregivers and students with an easy interface to track the location of the bus for their route and receive notifications about arrival times. Caregivers will use their New York City Schools Account login information to sign into the application
Student Ridership Tracking: Students will be able to scan onto the buses using a paper bus pass or through the student version of the NYC School Bus App. The bus pass will scan using the Bus Driver app or through an external scanner, installed on certain models only. Ridership tracking will allow the Driver App to record boarding and alighting of students, to provide that information real-time to parents, schools, and NYCPS, and gather up-to-date information on planned vs. actual ridership and bus capacity utilization
The School Operating Console (SOC) and NYC School Bus App are aimed at supporting your school community by knowing where buses are on their routes, providing greater transparency for caregivers and schools, and improving bus routing efficiency.