Parents of students who ride Red Deer Public Schools (RDPSD) buses can now receive real-time notifications about delays and cancellations.
The division said families can sign up for two systems designed to keep them informed if their child’s bus is running late or not operating.
Through the School Bus Monitor, run by Prairie Bus Lines, parents can enroll to receive email alerts if a bus is delayed by 10 minutes or more.
After registering, families can select their child’s school and bus routes to receive route-specific updates. The system is used by multiple school divisions, so RDPSD reminds parents to choose Red Deer Public Schools when setting up alerts.
Prairie Bus Lines will relay information quickly, but there may be a short lag between drivers reporting an issue and the update appearing in the system.
In addition, RDPSD uses School Messenger to send notifications about late buses directly to parent contacts listed in Powerschool. Messages are sent by email and phone, with an option to also receive text messages by replying “Y” to 978338.
Parents can opt out at any time by replying “stop” but doing so stops all text notifications from the school, not just about late buses.
The division said both systems aim to improve communication with families by providing timely updates on transportation.
** With information from Red Deer Public Schools.
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