Mobile App To Help Howard County Parents Keep Tabs On Kids' School Buses

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — While not all 20 suspended school bus routes have been reinstated, the Howard County Public Schools superintendent hopes a new mobile app will help provide parents with up-to-date information about their students' buses.

Superintendent Michael Martirano said in a Friday email to students and their families that the county is going through “final testing and quality control assurances” for a mobile application from Zum Transportation, one of its independent contractors.

The app will “allow families who ride Zum buses to track their child’s bus in real-time,” Martirano wrote in the email, which was shared by WTOP.

“This will provide much-needed information for parents and families at your fingertips so you can plan accordingly,” the email said. “We expect to launch the application midweek next week. Until that time, the HCPSS Office of Communications will send emails and text messages to families as we become aware that a bus is significantly delayed.”

Zum signed a contract with Howard County Public Schools in June to operate 250 buses. According to Zum, the contractor has brought in certified drivers from its other locations to temporarily serve Howard County as it continues to train new hires.

On the first day of school, buses ended up in a "major traffic bottleneck," the superintendent told CBS News. He also said one of the issues that caused delays the first day of school was the fact that some bus numbers did not match the ones parents found on the school district's "Connect" website, which is a platform used to communicate with parents. The buses are addressing the signage problem by having signs in their windows with the numbers that match those found in the HCPSS Connect website.

In an email sent to families Monday that was shared by WTOP, Martirano said, “We must work together to create a culture of showing up,” and that he will continue to monitor transportation operation.

One parent told WJZ that the confusion caused her middle school-aged daughter to climb on the wrong bus.

"My daughter actually jumped on the high school bus this morning, not realizing it," parent Nikki Marlatt-Young said. "Then they got down the road, and then she told the bus driver that she was on the wrong bus, that she's a middle schooler and then he let her off right there."

Marlatt-Young said the bus driver left her daughter on a busy street.

"No sidewalks," Marlatt-Young said. "It's a huge busy intersection with a great deal of accidents. You're going to let her out at that intersection of all places? So yeah, not to mention she could've been snatched."

County Executive Calvin Ball addressed the situation after countless families contacted his office with concerns.

“With the start of the 2023-2024 school year on Monday, Aug. 28, our Howard County government team is aware of the widespread school bus challenges, delays and temporary route cancellations associated with the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS). I share in the frustration that too many students, parents and families have experienced with these transportation hurdles," Ball said.

"While the county is a funding partner for HCPSS, the school system is a separate governmental entity, with a separately elected Board of Education. HCPSS has exclusive and sole authority over student transportation services, including school bus routes," Ball added.

More information about the app will be shared with parents when it's available.

Related:

Lengthy Bus Delays, Not Enough Drivers Plague HCPSS 1st Day Of School

School Bus Woes Worry HoCo Executive Who 'Shares Frustration' With Parents