Oak Creek Considering School Bus Tracking App For Parents

OAK CREEK, WI — Parents hoping to keep better track of their children may get a boost later this school year as Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District officials consider a bus tracker app.

According to school board documents, the district's bus contractor, Go Riteway, has implemented an app for tracking bus stop pickups and drop-offs in several districts.

Both La Crosse and Elmbrook have been using the app and for the 2019-20 school year, Milton and Mequon-Thiensville will implement the app for their use. School Board officials will be voting this week whether to join.

"This app will be used to provide an increased avenue of communication to provide real-time bus pickup and drop-off times throughout the school year," district officials said.

The app is designed to show a bus location, your child’s stop, and the school. Parents are allowed to set a stop radius for the bus compared to their stop location. A notification is sent to parents to notify them when the bus is in their radius zone.

According to district estimates, it would take about six months to get the app up-and-running in Franklin-Oak Creek and could be set up as early as second semester. The cost to the district is about $75,000 for one full year, according to district documentation.