Know Where Every Bus Is with RFID School Bus Tracking System

An RFID school bus tracking system records student boardings and exits through a card swipe or scan at the bus. UniteGPS pairs those timestamped ridership records with live GPS location data, creating a clear record of which student rode which vehicle and when. Districts can use the information for safety documentation, parent notifications, attendance-related review, and special-education transportation records.

With UniteGPS Tier 3, students scan their cards as they board and exit using the onboard driver tablet. The system records the scan time, vehicle, and related route information. Transportation staff can review ridership records alongside GPS activity, while families can receive advanced scan-on and scan-off notifications when the district enables those features.

Yes. UniteGPS includes a real-time parent app in Tier 2 that shows a bus’s current location, estimated arrival time, and timestamped ride history. Tier 3 adds advanced ridership notifications tied to student scan-on and scan-off activity. The app is activated by the district, and there is no separate charge to parents for access.

UniteGPS GPS tracking updates every five seconds, giving transportation teams and authorized parents a current view of bus movement. The GPS capability works even when the ignition is off, supporting continuous vehicle visibility. District users can also review mileage, geofence events, speeding alerts, idle alerts, and timestamped location data when questions arise.

UniteGPS is FERPA compliant and designed for K-12 transportation use. Student enrollment information can sync from the district’s student information system, reducing manual data handling and keeping routing, stop assignments, and ridership records aligned. Districts control platform activation and access for parent-facing tracking features, helping maintain appropriate information boundaries.

Yes. Tier 3 combines scan-verified student rides with categorized mileage to create billing-ready transportation records. This helps districts document IEP and special-education transportation activity for eligible Medicaid reimbursement workflows. Because the records are tied to student scans, vehicle activity, and timestamps, staff have a more reliable audit trail than paper logs or manually maintained spreadsheets.

Tier 3 uses an onboard driver tablet for student card scanning, navigation, vehicle inspections, and related transportation tasks. The tier includes all routing and GPS tracking capabilities from Tiers 1 and 2. Hardware is a one-time cost of approximately $1,699 per bus, while the tablet data plan and software are recurring costs. GPS devices are included at Tier 2 without an added hardware charge.

UniteGPS offers a free 90-day setup period with routes built by its team, plus integration configuration for district student information systems. Districts can begin with routing essentials, then add GPS tracking or the tablet suite as their needs grow. A free 90-day trial is available for Tier 2, with no credit card required.