Seminole County's school bus app issues show improvement on second day of classes

SANFORD, Fla. - Busing kids to school saw a big improvement in Seminole County on day two.  On Wednesday, buses were running but the new Ride 360 app had parents confused about if the bus was ever coming.

"We think there’s a bus running, but we’re not entirely sure," said Stacy Edwards.

Edwards told us Wednesday she had to pick her daughter up from school because she wasn’t sure if a bus would be there to pick her up. On Thursday, her problems and those of many others have been resolved.

Although, there are some still struggling. Seminole County Bus Transportation has added another line of communication through an email to help out.

"It allows other departments to assist transportation and get that information to our parents a lot smoother and a lot faster," said Director of Transportation Stan McKinzie.

McKinzie said they received over 10,000 calls on the first day of school from parents for a number of reasons. A day later, that number dropped to 2,500.

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He said every 30 minutes they are checking in with the Ride 360 manufacturer for updates.

"Just trying to make sure that we’re cleaning up the system and performance wise it’s doing a lot better," said McKinzie.

If you are still having issues with the app you can call the transportation hotline at 407-320- 7588, the dispatch line at 407-320-7547, or message them directly on Facebook at Seminole County Public Schools Transportation Services. You can also email them at transportation@scps.k12.fl.us.

"I just want to say thank you from the parents for being so patient with us as we implement a new system," said McKinzie.

McKinzie also reports bus transportation has been incredibly efficient this year. He said they aren’t seeing as many overloaded buses and 97% of their trips are arriving on time.