New app allows Cortland (NY) parents to track child while riding school bus

From NewsChannel 9 WSYR / Syracuse, NY / By: Ashley Cafaro / Posted: Oct 6, 2022 / 12:32 PM EDT / Updated: Oct 6, 2022 / 05:12 PM EDT

CORTLAND, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It’s been about a month since students in Central New York returned back to the classroom to begin the new school year, and with a new year, comes some changes at the Cortland City School District.

Getting back into that school routine can be tough.

“The app does help mostly for me in the mornings trying to get them out the door at the right time,” says Rebecca Merritt, a mother in the Cortland City School District.

But with the new Stopfinder app, parents in the Cortland City School District can now leave some of those worries at the door.

“I can view where the bus is coming and then when it’s on the road I can say ok kids go down our long driveway, get ready for the bus,” says Merritt.

With two kids in Junior High and one off to college, Merritt can keep a close eye on her kids that are still using the school bus.

Merritt added, “It’s definitely good knowing where the bus is and where your kids could be.”

Free for all parents and easy to use. Once you download the app to your smartphone, parents can then track their child while riding the school bus.

“They can set up a GO fence around their student’s stop. So they’ll get notified when the bus, the GPS for the bus crosses that fence and when it enters it and when it leaves it,” says Jordon Lilley, Supervisor of Transportation and Operations at the Cortland City School District.

Making it convenient for both parents and students.

“It should alleviate less stress for the parents wanting to know where the bus is and when the bus is going to arrive,” says Lilley.

Still in its first phase, but come Christmas time, parents will be able to pinpoint exactly where their child is.

“Right now the parent can’t know if they’re at work and can’t tell if their student actually got on the bus. They can see if the bus came to their location but once we get the ID badges, then they’ll know exactly when their student got on or off the bus,” says Lilley.

So far more than 300 parents in the Cortland City School District are using the Stopfinder app. The free app is available to all students and parents in the Cortland City School District. If your child is in the district and you would like to download the app, you must get an invite through the district’s office by calling 607 758-4123.