Pattonville Schools

Bus safety tips for parents and students, plus a parent bus app

Friday, August 30, 2019

With a new school year underway, it's important for students and families to practice and encourage safety at the bus stop and while traveling to and from school. The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) offers important tips to stay safe while making those daily trips. As an added safety feature, Pattonville offers parents a "Here Comes the Bus" app to enable them to watch for bus arrivals and view when their children board and depart their buses.

Pattonville Bus App

Pattonville parents can monitor bus arrival times, as well as when their children get on and off the bus, thanks to a program implemented by Pattonville to enhance school bus safety. Pattonville uses Synovia System's GPS bus tracking solution and Synovia's "Here Comes the Bus" parent app. Parents can download the app to their phone, tablet or desktop to track the location of their child’s bus using a secure sign-in. To sign into Pattonville's system, parents will need a district ID code and specific school information they can obtain from their school office. Students use an ID badge with a barcode to scan when they enter and exit the bus. Using the app, parents can view real-time GPS data so they will know when the bus is arriving at their bus stop and when their child scans on or off the bus. Families are able to determine when a bus is approaching to reduce time outside during adverse weather conditions or to prevent students from missing the bus altogether. Parents who have questions or need assistance with the parent app can contact "Here Comes the Bus" at (844) 854-9316 or online at the app website.

School Bus Safety Tips

Below are some tips from the NAPT for keeping children safe at the bus stop:

Getting Ready for School

Have your children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so that they won’t drop things along the way.
Encourage them to wear bright, contrasting colors so they will be more easily seen by drivers.
Make sure children leave home on time so they can arrive at the bus stop before it is due, ideally at least five minutes early. Running after or in front of a bus is dangerous.

Walking to the Bus Stop

Parents/guardians or other trusted adults should walk children to and from the bus stop or encourage children to walk in groups. There is safety in numbers and groups are easier for drivers to see.
Practice good pedestrian behavior: walk on the sidewalk, and if there is no sidewalk, stay out of the street. If you must walk in the street, walk single file, face traffic and stay as close to the edge of the road as you can.
Stop and look left, right and then left again if you must cross the street. Do the same thing at driveways and alleys. Exaggerate your head turns and narrate your actions so your child knows you are looking left, right and left.

At the Bus Stop

Have children wait in a location where the driver can see them while driving down the street. Try to avoid waiting in a house or car.
Do not let children play in the street. Playing with balls or other toys that could roll into the street is also dangerous.

Getting On and Off the Bus

Warn children that if they drop something getting on and off the bus, they should never pick it up. Instead, they should tell the driver and follow the driver’s instructions.
Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus.
Parents/guardians meeting their children at the bus stop after school should wait on the side where the child will be dropped off, not across the street. Children can be so excited to see you after school that they dash across the street and forget the safety rules.

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