Apps, sites to help parents track location of school buses

In order to keep the parents aware about the whereabouts of their children while they are travelling to and from school through school buses, some schools in the city have come up with a mobile applications and websites that would allow parents to track the location of buses.

In order to keep the parents aware about the whereabouts of their children while they are travelling to and from school through school buses, some schools in the city have come up with a mobile applications and websites that would allow parents to track the location of buses.

Explaining the process, Ashiana Public School’s director Lalita Prakash, said that the parents would be required to register their phone numbers through the application or the website with the private company which has installed the global position system (GPS) in the bus.

A form handed out by the Asiana Public School states“The school buses can be tracked during pickup and drop timings only through the website and the mobile application which can be downloaded from the school’s website.”

Parents would be required to submit Rs 100 every month as a fee for using the system.

PARENTS WELCOME THE MOVE

Parents have welcomed the move stating that they would now be able to keep a check on the location of their children when the latter are commuting through the school transport.

Kamal Kaushal, a resident of Panchkula said, “Few incidents in the recent past have made us anxious about the safety of our children in school buses. This arrangement would give us a sigh of relief. We do not mind paying Rs 100 every month if we can ensure the safety of our children.”

TRANSPORTATION FEE TO INCREASE

Transporters across the tricity stated that they had no option but to hike the transportation fee because their expenditures are bound to increase.

As they would now have to install new equipment and appoint personnel according to the administration’s directive, it will increase their expenses.

The president of the Chandigarh School Bus Operators’ Association Manjit Singh said “The cost of installing a CCTV camera and GPS in a school bus will be around Rs 15,000. Moreover administration wants us to pay at least Rs 7,000 to the lady attendant.”

“We would have to bear the salary expenses of two attendants other than the salary of the driver. Thus, parents will have to pay extra transportation fees,”Manjit Singh said.