Trustees agreed that the new technology will provide greater security, parental controls and customization than Smart Tag, the school district's current third-party system.
The details
Transfinder, TISD’s active bus-routing software, will no longer support third-party systems after June 30. Therefore, the school district had to develop a new solution and contract to secure services for the community.
TISD will pay $1.2 million to enter a five-year agreement with Transfinder for its Stopfinder and Wayfinder platforms, two additions that TISD Chief Operating Officer Steven Gutierrez said will further streamline communication.
“[Wayfinder] will provide more real-time live updates for parents and staff,” Gutierrez said during a Jan. 13 workshop presentation. “We were using Transfinder as a middleman to communicate [with third-party vendors]. We did find out we were having delays with our communication, so a message would take up to 40 to 45 minutes for it to get to a parent.”
Zooming in
According to the workshop presentation, the platforms will provide these enhanced features:
- Live time updates for parents and staff
- Improved communication by eliminating third-party vendors
- Customizable communication
- Increased parental controls for notifications
- Geofencing capabilities
- Turn-by-turn directions accounting for real-time traffic patterns and considerations for dangerous road conditions
“Districts who have made the switch to Transfinder, Wayfinder have been extremely pleased,” Gutierrez said during the presentation. “The bulk of this contract is for initial purchases for hardware and software as it does require new tablets and card readers on the buses.”
What’s next
TISD will install the new hardware on buses over spring break and perform a pilot test before rolling out the program at the start of the 2025-26 school year, Gutierrez said.
