Parents of students in Northborough and Southborough Public Schools can now track their kids’ buses.
The district previously announced that it would be pursuing a limited pilot program. A message sent to parents yesterday announces the launch of a district wide initiative.
Parents can sign up through a mobile app or on a website for “Here Comes the Bus”. The service doesn’t include the option for tracking individual students getting on and off of their bus. But it does help parents track buses’ arrival times and check where they are on their routes. A flyer promotes:
Shows the real-time location of your child’s bus on a map
Gives scheduled and actual arrival times at home and school for bus routes
Provides push and email notifications when the bus is near
The program does have protections in place for privacy. In order to view the bus information, parents need to register and provide their students’ IDs. (If you don’t know what that is, the message directs families to contact their school. (Tip for Trottier parents – I found my kid’s ID on the schedule Trottier sent out at the start of the year.)
The message to parents includes program FAQs and trouble shooting tips. It also indicates that the school is eager for parent feedback on their experience:
The District is eager to see how it performs and how reliable it will be for our community. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Respectfully,
Keith Lavoie, Director of Operations, klavoie@nsboro.k12.ma.us Jean Pinto, Transportation Coordinator, jpinto@nsboro.k12.ma.us
Below are more of the details included in the email:
Program FAQs
How does “Here Comes the Bus” work?
“Here Comes the Bus” uses a global positioning system (GPS) technology to locate and track your child’s school bus. It is powered by software from Synovia Solutions, who are experts at tracking data, which they’ve been providing to fleet managers across North America for over 15 years.
How much does it cost?
“Here Comes the Bus” is available at no cost to all families. It’s free!
How do I sign up?
- Download the Here Comes The Bus app. on Google Play or the Apple App Store or visit www.herecomesthebus.com.
- Click the “Sign Up” button
- Enter school code: 29468
- Click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
- Complete the “User Profile” box
- Under “My Students,” click “Add.” Enter your child’s last name and student ID number.
- If you need your child’s student ID number, you should email the school office staff or Jean Pinto.
- Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to go!
Do I need separate accounts for each of my children? Or separate accounts if we all want to be notified separately?
You and your children can access all the information about the buses you need using just one “Here Comes the Bus” account.
Is the information private and secure?
“Here Comes the Bus” uses HTTPS, just like a bank or online store, meaning that all communications between your web browser and the site is encrypted and secure. (That’s what the S in “HTTPS” stands for – secure.)
I saw a Student Ridership feature on the app. Do we use this?
At this time, the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough has not decided to offer this option.
Can I view the website in a language other than English?
Yes. The “Here Comes the Bus” program creators have made the website available in Spanish and French. If your computer is already set to display one of these languages, the website will automatically use the same language. Otherwise, you can change the language by clicking or tapping the current language (such as English) at the top right of the web page.
Troubleshooting
I forgot my password. Where do I reset it?
- Go to Login.herecomesthebus.com
- Click on “Forgot Your Password”
- Enter your email address and the school code: 29468
- Once you get the email, click on the link to reset your password
- Use the same new password to log into the app to track your child’s bus
The website/app wants me to enter a school code. What do I enter?
The code for the Public Schools of Northborough and Southborough is 29468.
I registered my account and the site is asking for a student ID.
You should have an ID number assigned to your student by his/her school. If you don’t have this already, please contact your school for this information.
I added my child to my account but there is no bus assigned.
If the account sign-up occurs over the weekend, it will not show bus stop information. Stops will only show on days that a stop is assigned (Monday-Friday). Feel free to complete your account sign-up and check your child’s stop information first thing Monday morning. If issues persist, please contact our Transportation Coordinator, Jean Pinto, for assistance – jpinto@nsboro.k12.ma.us
I added my child to my account but the bus stop information is incorrect. Please direct this issue to the Transportation Coordinator, Jean Pinto – jpinto@nsboro.k12.ma.us
I added my child to my account but the bus is not tracking.
Please direct this issue to the Transportation Coordinator, Jean Pinto – jpinto@nsboro.k12.ma.us
Here Comes the Bus also has how-to videos for using the app on a mobile device and a computer.
How-To Videos
