New app allows BPS parents to track school buses in real-time

Boston Public Schools parents will be able to track their children’s school buses in real-time in the upcoming school year using a new mobile app.

“With the Zum app, parents and guardians can view their student’s bus assignment, track bus rides in real-time, receive automatic delay notifications and alerts when the buses are arriving, and get notified when the student gets on and off the bus,” BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said in a committee meeting.

BPS is piloting the “integrated transportation platform” this summer, allowing parents and guardians to track their child’s upcoming rides on the Zum app. Paper directions for bus drivers are also being replaced with GPS navigation.

By the end of the first week, nearly 90% of bus drivers were able to successfully use the Zum system while completing their routes, according to Skipper.

The new system comes as a much needed update to address years of scrutiny regarding BPS’s transportation woes. BPS has had a mobile tracking app for years, but parents reported issues using it.

Executive Director of Transportation for BPS Dan Rosengard said in the meeting that the previous system had been “entirely reactive.”

“The only way we knew that a bus was running late was if the driver reported it or a parent called in,” he said.

Now, the new technology allows the transportation operations team to respond more quickly to delays.

“We’re still learning with the system and figuring out exactly how we’ll use this information to improve our operations,” Rosengard said. “It gives us a lot more real-time information that we didn’t have before so we can switch from a reactive mindset to a proactive mindset.”

Rosengard said he expects there to be a learning curve with the software in the fall, especially as the school system adds hundreds of more buses — going from 200 buses during the summer to 640 on the road in the fall.

The BPS transportation department will also monitor ridership by tracking students that tap on and off the bus to “improve the efficiency of routes,” he said.

About 3,000 students are using BPS transportation in the summer months, and Skipper said she is working to make sure that bus drivers know how to use the system as the fall approaches.

“We’re working to ensure that all bus drivers and transportation staff receive necessary training and support to successfully utilize the platform prior to the start of the [2024]-25 school year,” she said. “We’re committed to improving transparency, reliability, and convenience for students and families who use the BPS school buses.”