Paulding County School District is rolling out new technology this school year to make the daily school bus commute a little easier for families.
Of 30,000 of Paulding's students, 21,000 rely on the bus every day, and according to district spokesperson Jay Dillon, the bus schedule is a common inquiry for parents.
"One of the issues that comes up as much as anything is 'Where's the bus and how do we know what time the bus is going to be here?' Dillon said. "And if varies five minutes from day to day, parents need to know and they want to know where the bus is."
The district hopes the "Here Comes the Bus" app will make scheduling a little easier.
The app uses GPS technology which allows parents to track their child's bus in real-time. Alerts are sent via phone or desktop.
"They can check out where their child's bus is at any given time in real time," Dillon said. "They can know when to send their child out and when to go pick up their child and know where the bus is at any given time.'
Particularly important on inclement weather days, Dillon said.
"We've got a huge number of students and over 350 school buses going back and forth throughout the day so this is going to be an excellent tool to be able to coordinate that and give more information to parents and help them with their days as well," Dillon told 11Alive.
The app costs the district $12,600 a year ($3 per month/per bus), according to Dillon. The district superintendent's family piloted the app last year.
Paulding parents can download the "Here Comes the Bus" app using Apple app store or Google Play using the designated school code.
