Bus Transportation Recommendations

Case Study

HATBORO HORSHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT SAVES TIME, INCREASES DATA ACCURACY, AND BOOSTS SAFETY THANKS TO LIVESYNC, AN INTEGRATED TOOL THAT AUTOMATICALLY IMPORTS STUDENT INFORMATION FROM PLATFORMS LIKE POWERSCHOOL INTO BUSBOSS™

Overview

The complexities of manual school bus routing are well known to the districts that contend with it daily. Multiple stops, changing student addresses, minimizing walking distances, and dealing with road closures and other unexpected delays are only a few factors that make manual management a complicated, time-consuming task. Integrated technology offers a solution for optimizing routes effectively and efficiently.

The Challenge

The Hatboro Horsham School District serves 4,300 students in six schools, including four elementary, one middle, and one high school. The district’s bus garage creates the school bus routes, and central registration manages application updates. The district’s Applications Services Manager, Melissa Buonato, supports various platforms and, as she says, “makes things talk to each other.”

Before the district began using BusBoss about a decade ago, everything was performed manually, including data on up to 5,000 students. Two people handled getting new students, student changes, and student withdrawals into the bus routing system. They also manage data on the private school students the district services, which is currently about 1,200 students.

BusBoss helped speed up the bus routing process. However, the district still had issues like double inputting of data and parent and guardian complaints about long waits and changed routes.

'' IT’S EASY TO USE, PARENTS GET THE DIRECT DATA THEY’VE ASKED FOR, AND SUPPORT IS EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE. '' Melissa Buonato Applications Services Manager | Hatboro Horsham School District

The Solution

In 2020, Hatboro Horsham decided to invest in BusBoss’ LiveSYNC, a school bus routing software integration program that allows them to automatically import student information received from PowerSchool, a student information system that keeps parents updated on their child’s routing information. Syncing with PowerSchool has eliminated the double inputting the district previously needed to do for student demographics such as name, address, school, and student contacts. Demographic info is sent from PowerSchool to BusBoss, and when necessary, transportation data is sent from BusBoss to PowerSchool.

Once the data is properly synced, the student/parent portal is set up so everyone can see transportation information. As people get to know the routes at the start of the school year, they’re directed to the portal, where they can see current bus route information at any time. Parents and guardians appreciate how this makes their child’s bus journey safer, with tracking systems ensuring only students authorized to board the bus can do so. “We’re not making it easy for bad actors,” says Buonato. The system also ensures students don’t leave the bus at a stop other than their own.

Another feature Buonato says has “saved them” is PowerSchool syncing with BusBoss twice daily, once at 11 am and again at 1 am. It’s especially beneficial during the first week of school when routes change quite a bit as everyone adapts. And as the system updates automatically, there’s no manual data entry or human error. Buonato also loves how easy it is to do breakdowns according to multiple fields like grade, bus number, address, and more. If the district is notified that Bus #3 is involved in an accident or forced to detour, the district can quickly create an email in PowerSchool letting everyone know the bus will be late or the students will be moving to another bus number.

Buonato has been with Hatboro Horsham for 15 years, ten of them in her current position. She loves how the solution saved the district time, boosted data accuracy, and improved communications with parents and guardians. Most of all, Buonato strongly believes LiveSYNC makes kids safer, with real-time data directly available to parents and guardians about their child’s bus location and schedule. Uncertainties and confusion are minimized, creating a more reliable and secure environment for students.

As far as Buonato is concerned, there’s never been a reason to look at other platforms, with BusBoss meeting nearly all the district’s needs and resolving any early bumps. All in all, Hatboro Horsham loves what BusBoss and LiveSYNC make it possible for them to do. The software is incredibly easy to use, the data is highly accurate, and the support is exceptional, with Buonato saying she can always get ahold of someone when she needs them. She gives a special shout out to Dan Moyer, who worked with her in writing her own SQL code. She would most definitely recommend the software to friends and colleagues in other school districts.