MCPS to launch new bus tracking app

In a “Things to Know” update on Jan. 11, MCPS announced the launch of an app that will allow families to track the location of school buses live. This is in hopes of increasing student safety by keeping parents more informed. The app is currently in the pilot phase at 10 schools across the county. The app will be launched sometime this semester, and more information will be released as MCPS prepares for the district-wide launch.

MCPS first announced the app in its Operating Budget for 2024 on Dec. 19, 2022. The app will be $1.5 million of a $3.2 million budget operating budget, and is said to “[allow] users to track their child's school bus in real time.” 

This app would make it easier for the 103,000 students taking the school bus to plan their transportation to school. Oftentimes buses can be late or off-schedule, and students are left in the dark and unsure whether they will make it to school on time. Senior Ellie Pitner hopes the tracking app will be helpful in situations like these. “Picking me up from school sometimes [the bus] has been late and I have to call in for a ride. Knowing when I need to ask for rides from my family or when I can actually wait for the bus would be really helpful,” Pitner says. 

Along with free AP testing, more dual-language programs, and more inclusive prekindergarten, the introduction of this tracking app is just one of the many changes MCPS hopes to implement this year to benefit county students and families.