Beginning Tuesday, September 12, 2023, the District will be rolling out new measures to enhance student safety on all yellow buses. K-8 students will be required to scan a Student ID badge as they enter the bus in the morning and as they exit the bus in the afternoon. 

This new safety feature will alert parents and guardians who use the My Ride K-12 app when their student enters the bus each day and exits the bus each afternoon. It will also alert drivers immediately if a student attempts to get on the wrong bus or get off at the wrong bus stop. 

Student ID badges will be distributed on Monday, September 11, 2023. If a student is absent, he or she will receive the badge the following day. If a student does not have an ID badge when boarding or exiting a bus, the bus driver will manually enter the student’s ID number instead of scanning a badge. 

Please review the following questions and answers for additional information. 

Which students will be required to scan badges on buses?

All K-8 students who use DPS yellow bus transportation will be required to scan, along with high school students with IEPs that require yellow bus transportation. 

Preschoolers who ride the bus will NOT be impacted and will not be required to scan a badge. 

What is the purpose of requiring students to scan badges?

Scanning badges adds a new layer of security on DPS yellow buses, and will prevent students from getting off at the wrong bus stop. In addition, parents/guardians who download the My Ride K-12 app will be notified when their student enters the bus in the morning and exits the bus in the afternoon. 

Can a student still ride the bus if he or she does not have a badge?

Yes. If a student forgets his or her badge, the bus driver will manually type in the Student ID number instead of scanning a badge. 

How can I help my student remember his or her badge each day?

The District recommends keeping the badge in the same location, such as near the front door or another highly visible area of the home. If the badge is always kept in the same location, it is more likely that the student will remember to take it as they leave each day. Another option is to always keep the badge in the same pocket of the student’s backpack so they always carry it to and from school. 

What else can the My Ride K-12 App do?

The My Ride K-12 App (also called Traversa Ride 360) allows families to track a student’s bus in real-time, view pick-up and drop-off locations and times, and receive notifications when a student enters the bus in the morning and exits the bus in the afternoon. 

The app can be downloaded in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, or accessed through the Chrome Browser. To use the app, families will need to provide the student’s name and ID number. 

To view instructions for using the app, please click on the flyers below, which are available in multiple languages. 

English | Spanish | French | Arabic | Kinyarwandan | Pashto | Dari/Farsi | Russian | Swahili | Turkish

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as the district works to enhance student safety. If you have any further questions, please contact the Transportation Call Center at 937-542-4010.