FENTON, Mo. — The "Here Comes the Bus" app that the Rockwood School District is rolling out starts on Monday for select buses.
The app uses GPS to track where school buses are and alerts parents when buses are approaching the bus stop and when they arrive at school. Parents then receive alerts when the bus is nearby, running late, or if your student missed it.
Rockwood is launching the app on 14 buses in the Fenton area. Select families have already been testing out the free app.
After the district receives feedback from parents, they will make Here Comes the Bus available for all parents districtwide by the end of this school year.
The District Transportation Director, Mike Heyman, said it's a win-win situation, providing another layer of convenience, communication, safety, and security.
"In this day and age of tracking kids, I hear it all the time. Times are changing; they're a little bit different than they used to be. Families don't feel as secure as they do with their kiddos walking down to the bus stops. And we're just trying to minimize that and maybe give them a better peace of mind," Heyman said.
Heyman is hopeful this app could also help the bus driver shortage.
"Maybe we can actually increase the bus drivers we have to provide even better service on top of apps like Here Comes the Bus. I'm hoping that it adds another dimension and makes becoming a bus driver maybe more attractive because there is definitely a need for more bus drivers," said Heyman.
You can find more information about the district's app launch here.