KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Knox County Schools said it was launching a new app to help families track school buses across the county, helping them find out when buses are expected to arrive and whether there are any issues with bus routes.
The school district said 20,000 students ride the bus to school every day, stopping at 15,000 bus stops across the county. Parents will be able to use the Edulog Parent Portal app to track the buses, available on Google Play and Apple app stores.
"They can sign in using their student's information and then they will actually be able to see GPS data from their child's bus," said Ryan Dillingham, Knox County Schools' Director of Transportation. "They can establish a GPS geofence up to two miles around their bus stop. It will send them a push notification when the bus is arriving."
The school district said the app is meant to help improve transparency on where their child's school buses are. In addition, the district said it has added staff who are specifically tasked with communicating with parents.
The district said families can expect more information on the app in the next few weeks. In the meantime, the school district said it needs around 30 more school bus drivers ahead of the start of the 2024 school year.
For perspective, Knox County Schools needed 31 drivers in 2023 and in 2022, the school district needed 50 drivers.
"Our contractors are ceaselessly recruiting. We've had a lot of new people come in," Dillingham said.
Knox County Schools has 60 school bus contractors this year, and are continuing Transportation U, a paid course to make it easier for school bus drivers to get their licenses.
"We offer a completion bonus for the program," Dillingham said. "It's not an easy job, but it is one of the most fulfilling jobs that you have. Bus drivers occupy a liminal space. They are between families and schools."
For more information about the program or becoming a KCS driver, people can contact the school district's transportation department at (865) 594-1550.