A Safer Way to Ride the Bus: CPS Bus Passes
Cambridge Public Schools is testing out a new safety enhancement for our yellow school buses. Building on our successful implementation of GPS trackers on all school buses, we are testing a “Bus Pass” system, designed to improve the safety of our school bus riders.
How do the Bus Passes work?
- Bus Passes are similar to an MBTA Charlie Card.
- Students simply tap the card on a touch pad each time they board and exit the bus.
How would a Bus Pass improve safety?
- The transportation office will know who is on the bus, as long as students “tap in” each time they board the bus, and “tap out” each time they get off the bus.
- When a student gets off the bus, the system will have a record of where and when the student “tapped out.” This will save valuable time for locating students, for instance if a child did not get off at the right stop.
What information will Bus Passes contain?
- Cards contain no personal information – only a unique ID number.
- No identifying student information will be printed on the card – only information for finding lost cards.
What is the current status of this system?
- The system is currently entering its pilot phase, and will only be available on the Brown Cat bus at this time. We will keep families posted as we seek to offer this added safety measure across the district.