The Department of Education is modernizing our school transportation system, providing greater transparency for caregivers and schools, and improving bus routing efficienty.
Get started by setting up a NYCSA account
Your NYC Schools Account (NYCSA) is your gateway to support and track your children's progress—grades, attendance, and now transportation.
Already have a NYCSA account? Download the NYC School Bus App.
- Visit the NYCSA site to register for an account.
- Contact your child's school for their Student ID number. Once you have this number you're ready to begin.
- Once you have your NYCSA account, download the NYC School Bus App.
Visit your app store from your mobile device:
Parents & students love the NYC School Bus App
"One of my biggest worries is bus travel—this app is a lifesaver."
-Caregiver
"Now I'll be able to know if the bus is running late and won't have to call the school."
-Caregiver
"I like that my mom now knows where I am and can follow the bus on the app."
-Student
How to use the NYC School Bus App
- Login to the app with your NYCSA account. Please contact your child's school if you need help with NYCSA credentials.
- Select the child you'd like to track.
- Follow your child's bus. If your child's bus does not appear, the driver has not yet logged in to the app.
Partnership with Via
Why is the Department of Education partnering with Via in New York City?
We are working with Via to customize a solution for student transportation to meet the needs of New York City families, students, schools, administrators, and school bus companies. We are introducing these technologies to NYC student transportation to improve the overall quality of service.
Via has global experience providing innovative software solutions to optimize networks of school buses, dynamic shuttles, buses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, and autonomous vehicles.
What are the goals for this project?
Every child has a right to effective and efficient transportation and this initiative will help us to improve bus operations for the country’s largest school district. The project will make it easy for families to verify a student's location when they are riding the school bus and will provide near real-time pickup and drop-off times.
The Driver App
The first phase of this process focuses on training drivers and school bus companies in appropriate practices and use of the Via technology. This phase will support consistent login to the Driver App and adherence to assigned routes, setting the foundation for successful tracking of rider status in later stages.
School Administrative Console
The School Administrative Console allows schools to view the location of school buses serving their school on a single screen. Once the majority of our school bus drivers and vendors adopt the Driver App, the NYC School Bus App and School Administrative Console will begin to report the location of buses.
NYC School Bus App
The NYC School Bus App is a mobile application for families that shows the real-time location of the bus and provides notifications about their child(ren) boarding and exiting the bus.
Ridership Tracking
Ridership tracking will allow families to get notifications when their child boards and exits the school bus. This project phase includes passes for students to scan, the ability for students to have their own account in the NYC School Bus App.
Approach
Each phase of this process is centered on building tools and systems that work for various stakeholders (drivers, schools, families, students, etc.). As we test each component step, we will gather feedback from our stakeholders, make improvements, and then scale up to continuously improve our system and better serve our families.
Phase 1
Driver App and AVL Tracking
Phase 2
NYC School Bus App and School Administrative Console
Phase 3
Student Ridership Tracking
History
How did the modernization project come about?
A new Chancellor’s Regulation (A-802) requires the installation and use of automated vehicle location equipment on school buses. We also amended new bus contracts to include provisions that require the use of AVL while operating buses.
By the end of 2019, 10,000 AVL devices were installed on our school buses.
As part of this effort, we issued a request for proposals (RFP) to modernize our busing systems. The contract was awarded to Via.
What has the DOE achieved in partnership with Via so far?
Work on this project began in September 2019.
Accomplishments during the 2019-20 school year:
- Began engagement with three bus companies and a focus group of a small group of drivers about the Driver App
- Gathering and documentation of business and technical requirements
- Began engagement with schools and district offices about various administrative consoles
- In February 2020, held feedback session with families and advocates on the NYC School Bus App
We paused the project in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it recommenced in the 2020-21 school year by kicking off with small-scale testing of systems to ensure that each component was successful before expanding. Full rollout will be accomplished through a phased approach.
What Happened During the 2021-22 School Year?
- The Driver App was released to all our school bus drivers by the end of the 2021-22 school year
- In the 2020-21 school year, the DOE began a pilot program with two bus vendors to install and train drivers on the Driver App, focused on ensuring drivers logged into the system and followed the assigned routing on every trip
- 18 schools in District 26 and almost 80 additional schools citywide now have access to the School Operating Console
Frequently Asked Questions
How will the NYC School Bus App work?
The NYC School Bus App will provide families with the location of their child’s school bus. Over time, updates to the app will provide families with notifications on the expected arrival time of the school bus, information about the time and location at which their child is getting on and off the school bus, and notifications about delays. In addition, families can use the app to share information about day-to-day student attendance and busing needs.
More information will be shared as the app approaches its release date.
Who can use the NYC School Bus App?
The NYC School Bus App will be available for families of students who receive bus transportation from the New York City Department of Education, including students at public, non-public, and charter schools.
Will the app be accessible in multiple languages and for visually-impaired uses?
Yes. The NYC School Bus App will be available in ten languages and will adhere to WCAG accessibility standards.
What if I don’t have a smartphone?
There will be a web version of the NYC School Bus App that can be accessed using a laptop or desktop computer.
Your school or district office can assist you with transportation information if you don’t have access to a computer.
How will NYCDOE and Via handle data privacy?
The DOE and Via follow the highest security standards for data privacy and security. The DOE will only share the minimum required data, will require highly secure logins for all users, and will perform data encryption and continuous security testing on the system.
What is Via's role in the project?
Via is providing the software. The service will operate using DOE buses and bus drivers.
Support Videos and Quick Start Guide
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