RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — When Richland Two students are waiting for their bus in the morning, parents can now track the bus’s location in real-time.
It’s through an app called Traversa Ride 360. Parents can register, enter their kid’s school ID number and last name to access data from GPSs in the district‘s buses.
Greg Turchetta, the senior chief communications officer for Richland School District Two says over 7,000 parents have already signed up in the less than three weeks it’s been live.
“It’s a great tool for parents,” Turchetta said. “How many times have you had a kid standing at a bus stop, maybe you’re running a little late today, and you don’t know if- ‘has the bus come? Did I miss the bus?’ And then when the yellow bus comes around the corner, you go ‘ah, there it is’. Now you don’t have to do that. Now we have an app that’ll actually show you, much like an Uber or a Lyft, exactly where it is, exactly when it’s coming, so you don’t miss the bus again.”
As we’ve previously reported, the district says it’s prioritizing cutting down on ‘chronic absenteeism’, a phrase used when students miss more than 10% of school days.
“Attendance is always an issue, right? I mean, we- there’s so many reasons why students don’t get to school,” Turchetta said. “Missing the bus shouldn’t be one of them. So anything we can do that eliminates part of that problem is a win.”
Hymesha Ellis is a mother of five children in Richland School District 1. Their buses are also an option on the app.
“I think that having this implemented into our schools is the best idea they’ve ever had, since I moved to Richland County,” Ellis said. “I’m not gonna lie.”
She says she’s had issues with buses being late in the morning and the evening, and had trouble in the past getting in touch with the right person.
She says a little communication would go a long way.
“So we're not wondering and worrying about what’s happening,” Ellis said. “You know they got stuck in traffic or you know they got stuck behind a train, or ya know, simple stuff.”