Chandigarh develops app to track school buses

The app would show the estimated arrival time of school buses.

ADDRESSING PARENTAL concerns about the security of their school-going children after the murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur at a Gurgaon school, the UT’s transport department has developed a mobile application by which the movement of school buses along with the details of drivers and attendants can be tracked. Rajiv Tewari, Additional Secretary of the State Transport Authority (STA), maintains that even as global positioning system (GPS) is mandatory for the school buses, the department has been receiving numerous complaints from the parents about their inability to track the school buses.

The mobile app would have the details of all the buses, school-wise. It would also have the details about drivers, conductors and attendants, their pictures and mobile numbers. If the school driver deviates from the original route by which the child is scheduled to come, the app would show an alert and the school would be informed. Tewari says, “STA would have a control room which would issue alerts, if any GPS of the school bus isn’t working. Parents would be able to post their grievances on the app.”

The app would show the estimated arrival time of school buses. Every school would be required to upload the details of their buses, drivers and attendants. STA, school authorities and parents would also be part of the app. STA would hold a demonstration of the app in one of the schools by Monday. The app has been developed in collaboration with a company under a corporate social responsibility project.

The Chandigarh Administration has been working to ensure the safety of students in schools ever since the murder of Pradyuman. In the recent guidelines issued by the Chandigarh Administration, there is a special focus on the drivers, peons, conductors and attendants.