Overview

Bus Manager helps schools keep track of students when they get on and off the bus, whether they are coming to school or on their way home. Students scan a QR code or ID on a mobile device when they get on the bus to check in, and scan when they get off the bus to check out. 

  • School officials can view data relayed from the Bus Driver app in a web-interface in real time
  • Bus drivers can override the scanner and enter a student’s code or ID if needed
  • Students can check themselves in manually with a code or ID
  • Parents and guardians can use a portal to see records that their students have gotten on and off the bus (future release)

Considerations

Schools and districts must import bus driver information, and bus route information to the web application, and add the Visitor Aware Bus Driver app to the mobile devices the drivers use on the bus routes.  


Requirements

iOS or Android internet-connected devices such as an iPad, iPhone, or Android mobile phone.


Imports

Bus Manager requires schools and districts to import bus driver information and bus schedules into the Bus Manager web application. You can add bus drivers manually and by import, however you must import bus schedules. The imports and templates support .csv and .xls file types.

  1. Go to the Import Resources page in the Visitor Aware knowledge base. 
  2. Scroll down to find the Bus Schedule Import template, and the Bus Driver Import template.
  3. Click Download to download them.  


Note: If date-of-birth information is not available for a bus driver(s), provide generic date(s) of birth. Bus Manager uses this information as an additional measure of security for bus driver authentication. 


Bus Schedule Import

Once you’ve downloaded the Bus Schedule Import template, you can add information to it. If you upload the file using SFTP, the file name must be bus_schedule.csv.


Note: The student IDs and school ID you import must match the student IDs and school ID that exist for the students or for schools in Visitor Aware. This is typically the SourcedId value from your OneRoster connection.


  1. From the Import Resources page, select the Bus Schedule Import button.
  2. Select the spreadsheet that contains your bus schedules.
  3. Click the Import button. 


Note: The format and columns in the spreadsheet must match the sample file.


Install the Bus Driver App


Follow this process to install the Bus Manager app to an iPad, iPhone, or Android mobile device. Once installed and you’ve imported the bus routes and bus driver information into the web application, the Bus Driver app is ready for use. The appropriate version of Bus Manager appears automatically, based on your device.


Mount the device securely in the predefined location where you can see the screen and the device is connected to a power supply.


App Settings Screen

You can manage the settings in the app, including enabling badge scan success and error tones, action codes to confirm the exit of scan mode, or to complete or cancel a route. 


You can also enable or disable barcode scanner types. 

  1. To access the mobile app settings, tap the three horizontal lines on the top left of the screen. The Manage Settings screen appears.


  1. To enable sound settings and play an audible success or error tone for badge scans, tap the Success / Error toggle on.
  2. To require a passcode to complete or cancel a route, enter a four-digit number in the Action Item Passcode field. 
  3. To require the passcode to exit scan mode on an active route, tap the Require Scan Mode Passcode? toggle on.
  4. To enable barcode scanning for any of the various code types listed, tap the appropriate toggle on. Barcode options include:
  • QR Code
  • Code 128
  • Code 39
  • Code 93
  • Code 13
  • EAN 13
  • EAN 8
  • Interleaved 2 of 5
  • ITF 14
  • PDF 417