With so much information at our fingertips, it’s frustrating when we can’t quickly find what we’re looking for. On-demand access to information is expected for just about everything — including a student’s school transportation details.
Mobile apps for parent communication, such as Tyler Technologies’ My Ride K-12 app, empower transportation departments to share real-time updates with parents about bus schedules, route changes, and the time and location where their student gets on and off the bus. These apps help parents stay informed, plan their schedules, and eliminate their need to call the transportation department — while simultaneously supporting on-time performance and operational efficiency.
But these tools can only solve communication challenges when parents get on board, so how do you get parents to download and use them regularly? Read on to learn about two districts’ tactics that could work for you, too.
To learn more about Tyler Technologies’ Student Transportation and parent communication solutions, register for their upcoming My Ride K-12 webinar.
A Better Way to Keep Parents in the Know
At Sherwood School District 88J in Oregon, the transportation department was bogged down with parent phone calls — and they found themselves repeatedly answering the same questions. “We’re a small district, but we still get a huge amount of phone calls,” said Casey Jebens, transportation director at Sherwood.
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (BHBL) Central School District in New York was also searching for ways to help parents get the information they needed without calling the transportation department. “Especially during dispatch time, we might not be able to pick up the phone to give the parents an immediate answer,” said Katria Hitrick, administrator for student transportation at BHBL.
To streamline their communication to parents, the districts launched Tyler’s My Ride K-12 mobile app. Today, about 90% of families at Sherwood are using it and BHBL has cut parent phone calls in half — and the benefits go beyond keeping parents up to date on when the bus will arrive. The app has also empowered the transportation departments to provide clear and timely communication about incidents or route changes during inclement weather.
“The parents feel that we’ve done a better job communicating with them. They don’t have to wait for us to be in the office to answer a question. They can look up a lot of that information on their own in the My Ride K-12 app,” Jebens said.
The transportation team at Sherwood won an Excellence Award from Tyler Technologies in 2023 for their work to improve parent communication.
How to Increase App Awareness and Downloads
To achieve their high adoption rates of My Ride K-12, Sherwood and BHBL leveraged multiple communication channels to spread awareness. That strategy helped them meet parents where they were already looking for information.
“It depends on the grade level and the actual families,” said Hitrick. “Some will always go to the website, some will never go to the website. The more ways we can get the information in their hands, the better.”
Both districts shared examples of places they got the word out about My Ride K-12, including transportation arrangement letters or emails, ‘Welcome Back’ letters from the Superintendent, and their transportation departments’ webpages.
Sherwood also helped their drivers field parent questions while on their routes. Jebens explained, “We printed a QR code the drivers had plastered on their route books. For the first six weeks after we rolled out the app, the parents would ask questions of the driver and they could just hold up that book. Parents would scan the QR code and it would send them to our website where all that information is.”
Inevitably, parents will still pick up the phone, but Jebens noted that as another opportunity. “Every time a parent calls the transportation department, we push them toward My Ride K-12,” he said. Those interactions help parents understand that the information they’re looking for is available on demand through the app — no need to call the office.
How to Get Parents to Use the App Regularly
Even after parents download the app, some might forget to use it. Parent phone calls can be a great opportunity to remind them, and both districts noted My Ride K-12’s push notifications are a helpful way to keep the app top of mind.
At BHBL, Hitrick’s team sends a custom push notification at the start of the school year to welcome families back and remind them about the information they can access through My Ride K-12. “It’s easy to forget. I don’t know how many apps I’ve signed up for and don’t even realize I have them,” she said. Many busy parents are likely in the same boat.
Everyday push notifications, such as those for bus ETAs or student ID card scans, can help too. Jebens explained, “Those notifications remind the parents to use the app because, even if they don’t open My Ride K-12, they get that notification from us that their bus is running late.” Since introducing this feature, the district estimates that the time spent communicating with parents about an incident or late bus has been reduced by 90%.
BHBL also encourages parents to use My Ride K-12 by offering extra support. Hitrick said, “We troubleshoot for them before we send them to Tyler support for help. When they know we’re well-versed in the app, that makes them feel more comfortable using it.” Both districts also include resources for parents on their department web pages, such as instructional documents and FAQs.
At Sherwood, Jebens has found that once parents download My Ride K-12 and see the benefits, they make good use of that resource. “The parents really like it because they get the information when they want it. They can look up their kid’s route at 9:00 in the morning or 9:00 at night,” he said. Beyond the convenience of on-demand information, My Ride K-12 can help give parents peace of mind about their student’s safety. For example, when the app is used in conjunction with scan cards and GPS, parents can check the app to see when and where their student scans on and off the bus.
“Just the ease of it puts their mind at ease,” said Hitrick. And when parents feel confident their student is where they should be, that’s one less reason to call the transportation department.
A Connected Parent Communication Solution
Tyler Technologies’ My Ride K-12 web and mobile app can help ensure your students never miss the bus again and support parents’ peace of mind. This portal allows parents and students to access their secure data for bus stop location, route, and pickup time at the touch of a button. When your district’s buses are equipped with hardware such as Tyler Drive or Telematic GPS, My Ride K-12 can use GPS geolocation to let users know when to expect their bus each day.
To learn more about Tyler’s software and parent communication solutions, register for their upcoming webinar.
The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.
