SafeStop announced a partnership that integrates its school bus tracking and parent communication app with Zonar’s Smart Fleet Management Solutions.
Available for any Android- or iOS based mobile device, SafeStop provides students and parents with a real-time map to show school bus location, estimated arrival time at individual stops and alerts from the school administration on school closings and delays.
It is also the only school bus tracking app, SafeStop added, that meets SOC2 data security compliance. Developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, SOC2 defines criteria for managing customer data based on five “trust service principles,” those being security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. SafeStop said SOC2 exceeds FERPA requirements and ensures that personal information is secure and never shared with outside parties.
“The integration of SafeStop continues Zonar’s commitment to safely transporting kids back and forth from school and improving communication between parents and school officials,” said Vanessa Haughton, chief marketing officer at Zonar. “With SafeStop, school and district administrators can deliver vital bus information to the palm of a parent’s hand and dramatically reduce the number of phone calls they receive, allowing them to focus on improving overall safety and performance inside the SafeStop Analytics platform.”
The companies added that SafeStop allows transportation departments to obtain Zonar GPS, telematics and routing data analytics to make school bus service more reliable and efficient. For example, school districts can gauge the number of underutilized bus stops and on-time performance of school bus drivers as well as access bus pre- and post-trip inspection data, engine diagnostics and student visibility.
Additionally, the app service comes with full-time customer service support that provides parents and caregivers with dedicated email and phone support, which SafeStop said can reduce calls to the transportation department by 90 percent.
“We are in an era where people expect accurate and transparent information on demand,” said Patrick Gallagher, director of sales for SafeStop. “The communication between schools and parents is and should always be at the top of that list. By tapping into Zonar’s smart fleet management solutions and GPS tools, we are not only able to meet parent demands for access to real-time information from their children’s schools but school and district officials’ data demands to help them make more informed decisions.”
