Stamford Public Schools: Transportation App

Press release from Stamford Public Schools:

November 1, 2021 - 1:35pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 1, 2021                   

Stamford, Conn – Stamford Public Schools’ (SPS) Transportation Department is proud to announce the November 10th anticipated  launch of a bus tracking and parent communications app called FirstView®. A partnership between First Student and SPS, FirstView® enables SPS parents using a smartphone, tablet or computer, to track their child’s school bus location and estimated arrival and departure times.  The GPS based system is available in multiple languages and also allows parents to set up push or email notifications when the bus is getting close to their stop.  Unfortunately, due to the driver shortage the tracking of all buses and routes may be unavailable.  When this occurs a notification will be sent indicating so.

“With winter coming and the possibility of inclement weather days, we believe the FirstView®  app will improve our communication with students and families while providing timely information that can reduce outdoor wait times on cold, dark mornings,” said Associate Superintendent Dr. Michael Fernandes. “If the bus is going to be significantly delayed for any reason First Student can also send a notification out to the entire bus. Anyone that is registered would receive the alert.” 

A parent information session is scheduled for Thursday, November 4 at 6:00pm Pop Up Webinar.  Parents will have the opportunity to learn about the functionality of the app, including how to download, register, and use the app.  The app is set to launch the following week on Wednesday, November 10.   Further communications will come from the schools including resources on how to use the app.  

With almost 12,000 students assigned to buses, FirstView® also provides transportation staff and school administrators with a district dashboard to monitor the location of our 158 buses that cover more than 400 routes each day.  The district dashboard automatically updates bus locations every few minutes, shows the stop schedule, and timestamps buses school arrivals and departures.

To access FirstView®, students and parents should download the FirstView® app from the app store on their phone. After downloading the app, parents will go through a short registration process which requires knowing their child’s SPS student ID number. Resources and guides to assist with registration and using the App are currently being translated into other languages and will be sent out by each school prior to the November 10 anticipated launch.  

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Stamford Public Schools (SPS) comprises more than 16,000 students, over 1,500 professionals, and 21 schools, including seven magnet schools and three International Baccalaureate sites. SPS has a total of 13 elementary schools, five middle schools and three high schools. The mission of the Stamford Public Schools is to provide an education that cultivates productive habits of mind, body and heart in every student.

SPS is proud that our district is as rich in diversity as it is in talent. We have students from many cultural backgrounds and geographic locations—as demonstrated by the more than 70 different languages spoken in the homes of our families. SPS offers our students a learning experience rich in cultural diversity and reflective of the global society in which they will work and live.

Spanish attached.

This press release was produced by Stamford Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.