Westport Public Schools Encourages Parents To Use 'WheresTheBus' App

WESTPORT, CT — To help parents know when their child's bus will arrive at their stop, Westport Public Schools will begin using the "WheresTheBus" app in the 2022-23 school year, Schools Superintendent Thomas Scarice announced.

The app, which can be downloaded to Apple or Android devices, is designed to help districts navigate transportation challenges and help with communication if a bus is running late.

"'WheresTheBus' is a tool for parents to know when the bus will arrive at your stop with up-to-the-minute ETAs to reduce the uncertainty," Scarice wrote in an email to parents Thursday. "Bus times at the start of the school year tend to settle into a routine by the end of the second or third week. New routes, morning pictures of the 'first day,' new drivers, all contribute to this."

In the Apple App Store, the app's description reads:

Allows bus-riding households to know precisely when their kid's school bus arrives at their bus stop.

The app will go "live" in Westport later in September, once routes are better established, he added. In the app store, WheresTheBus rates a 4.7 out of 5 from more than 2,000 ratings.

"Again, I am certain that this will not be perfect, but it has the potential to significantly increase the timely flow of information to parents," Scarice said. "Stay tuned for more information from the Transportation Department."