Montour parents will soon be able to track their kids' buses

As the school year winds down, the Montour School District is rolling out new technology designed to give everyone peace of mind when the kids hop on the school bus.

When you drop your child off in the morning to get on the bus, it can be nerve-wracking not knowing where they are, but what if you were able to track your child with your cellphone? 

Montour School District has 62 buses. Right now, half of them are equipped with a GPS system. It's a test run for staff and so far it is making a difference.

"About a month ago, one of our vans unfortunately was run off the road. The driver was shaken up and wasn't able to talk real well because, you know, obviously the situation was stressful. I hit on that GPS unit and it took me right to that location," said Montour transportation director Brian Churovia.

Now the next step is giving parents access. Soon enough, parents will be able to log in and track where their child is while en route to or from school.

"The board just approved our parent portal, which is going to allow parents to log in to their students' account and they'll be able to track their bus in the morning and afternoon as well," Churovia said. 

They'll start by testing the parent access on three to four buses with hopes of expanding it across the fleet so every family can have reassurance of their kids' safety

"Honestly, I think it's just embracing technology. I think it's going to be a nice thing for parents and a nice thing for us as well," Churovia said. 

The school district plans on soft rolling this out next month with the anticipation of having it at full operation next fall.