It might seem like a fad to want to even invest in a school bus transport management system, but in an increasingly connected world that can often be plagued with many dangers, it is necessary to make every effort to protect the most valuable and vulnerable asset in the educational ecosystem – the student.

Using a school bus transport management system is not just about safety, however. The advantages of a school bus transport management system are many. Below we explore in detail why we need a school bus transport management system:

1. Get real-time information on student location 

One of the key features of a school bus transport management system is that it provides all concerned parties updates on where the school bus or transport system is at all times. This means that a student is secure because adults are aware of where they are at any given moment. Real-time information may seem like helicopter parenting but to be safe is to be prepared – the school bus transport management system provides an extra sense of security and knowledge that can only help parents and teachers breathe more easily.

Real-time information is important in a digital age – delayed information is no longer acceptable. A school bus transport management system is a lightweight technological response to this urgent need.

2. Enhance driver safety 

It is not just student security and safety that are positively impacted by the implementation and use of a school bus transport management system. Staff, such as the driver of the school bus themselves, also feel an added sense of security for their vehicle being tracked. In case of an accident or emergency, this real-time tracking provided in the school transport management

system will help aid arrive quickly at a time of real need. Often this saved time is the difference needed to prevent disaster.

3. Instant alerts for parents 

To be forewarned is to be best prepared. Parents using a school bus transport management system may choose to receive notifications and alerts via SMS or message or email to their phones or other devices on the whereabouts of their children. This ensures that in any deviation from the routine. In case of missing regular notifications, parents are aware that there has been a change in the routine and should check in with the school and their child. Similarly, quickly get in touch with parents with alerts using the school bus transport management system in case of exigencies.

4. Maintain comprehensive records 

While the primary benefit of the school bus transport management system is the security of students, that is not the only thing the school bus transport management system is good for. Instead, the school bus transport management system helps maintain comprehensive and extensive records of all school bus or transport-related information, such as fuel expense records, any repair or service information, license renewal information for the driver and vehicle, pollution check certification and information, routes and stops that the school bus or transport traverses every day. This means that all this vital information is available easily and at your fingertips thanks to the school bus transport management system.

5. Manage driver payroll

School bus transport management systems can also help with payroll processing for drivers. Driver hours can be tracked hourly or on a salary basis, deductions can be made easily on driver-by-driver bases and all additional bonuses can also be added within the school bus transport management system in one shot. This makes financial management for the special payroll needs of transport professionals or drivers easier than ever before.

6. Go green 

A big advantage to switching to a technological solution like a school bus transport management system is the reduction in the amount of paperwork and wastage of finite resources that happens. No more school bus pass or notes written on paper or receipt generated on paper – everything is handled automatically within the school bus transport management system leading to smoother workflows and reduced error rates in billing and payments.

7. Improve safety metrics and boost efficiency 

The right school bus transport management system improves school safety scores across the board since it is the most difficult to supervise students when they are not under the watchful eye of a teacher or parent. Being able to track students on the move is one of the many advantages of the school bus transport management system. Similarly, efficiency is also improved by the correct implementation of a school bus transport management system – this is because these repetitive processes are no longer vulnerable to human error, instead, a computer or robot works flawlessly to keep things running. School bus transport management systems are thus excellent at boosting educational outcomes for the schools that they serve.

8. Easy addition of new routes and elimination of redundant ones 

When being managed by human administrators, the process of tracking bus routes to decide whether it is advantageous or not can be time-consuming and laborious. Collecting transport data can be a process a school bus transport management system takes over very quickly and without much human interference. After this process, a data-driven decision can be made regarding which routes to retain, which new ones are necessary to serve changing student needs, and which ones can be eliminated to help reduce the financial burden on educational institutions.

A school bus transport management system is a tool that helps students, parents, staff, teachers, and management at a school efficiently manage transport options to and fro (and if needed, between) the school. Essentially, this is a tool that is often found within a school management system that allows various stakeholders in the school to ensure student safety and security in the most efficient fashion.

What are the features of a school bus transport management system? 

1. Transport Fees Collection and Management 

The school bus transport management system is the perfect companion for not only payroll processing for drivers but also for fee collection of school bus fees from students and teachers and other users of the bus service in a school. With this feature, the admin can easily collect the fees in a similar fashion as academic or school fees are collected. Additions and deductions, like specific taxation, can also be included within the school bus transport management system.

2. Transport Alerts to Parents 

Parents can rest easy about their child’s safety and security at school when the transport management feature has been put in place at an educational institution. It enables the tracking of transport vehicles – like a school bus or tempo or van – within its platform. Parents are able to even use this tracking feature on the mobile-friendly version, so they are able to keep an eye on their child on the go.

In case of any exigencies, parents can receive instant alerts and updates via SMS (short messaging system) on their mobile. This provides them peace of mind knowing that if any emergency or accident takes place, they are immediately informed.

3. Transport Details and Reports 

It is an excellent record-keeping companion when it comes to all administrative and process-related matters when it comes to bus and transport services dedicated to students at schools. It will be able to record and update details like bus and transport insurance, bus identification details, bus school route details such as distance and mapping the route, etc. It also generates comprehensive reports for various stakeholders that are using school buses or transport services offered by an educational institution. This means student, teacher, and parent specific reports are generated based on the bus route they are assigned to.

4. Transport Attendance Management 

Features vary across proprietary school bus transport management systems, but some features include scheduling vehicles, adding and deleting routes, assigning students, parents, and teachers to a specific school route, etc. This is infinitely more efficient and time and energy-saving when compared to the old-fashioned way of doing it – where a human administrator decides on routes, addition, and removal of routes, allocating routes to people, etc. All these duties are taken over by a school bus transport management system efficiently and easily with a very easy learning curve.