GPS Tracking
Track buses in real time with 5-second updates, ignition-off visibility, mileage categories, speeding alerts, idle alerts, geofences, and performance analytics for daily transportation oversight.
Learn More →Reliable School Bus Tracking & Monitoring Solution
UniteGPS helps K-12 districts see every bus, simplify routing, notify parents, and verify student ridership from one integrated platform. Built from a real parent frustration in Maine and refined with districts nationwide, Crosswalk combines live GPS, route optimization, SIS sync, driver tablets, and FERPA-compliant records to make student transportation easier to run and easier to trust.
Our School Bus Tracking & Monitoring Solution Services
Integrated routing, GPS, parent communication, ridership, and tablet tools for safer, easier student transportation.
Parent App
Give parents real-time bus visibility, ETA information, and timestamped ride history. Reduce office calls and settle arrival disputes with accurate transportation data.
Learn More →Ridership Tracking
Use card swipe on/off tracking to prove which students rode which bus and when, supporting safety records, parent notifications, and IEP transportation documentation.
Learn More →Route Optimization
Turn student enrollment data into efficient bus routes, rosters, and printable sheets, replacing paper maps or one person’s route knowledge with a reliable system.
Learn More →SIS Integration
Sync enrollment data from your Student Information System into routing and ridership workflows, reducing manual roster uploads when students move or change schools.
Tablet Suite
Equip buses with driver tablets for turn-by-turn navigation, student scans, vehicle inspections, mileage tracking, advanced parent notifications, and IEP or Medicaid invoicing support.
Learn More →Our 5-Step Implementation Process
Assess Your Transportation Needs
UniteGPS starts by reviewing fleet size, current routes, student data sources, parent communication needs, and monitoring goals. This helps match the district to the right tier, from Routing Essentials to GPS Tracking & Routing or the full Tablet Suite.
Build Routes and Sync Data
During the free 90-day setup, the UniteGPS team helps convert student enrollment data into optimized routes, rosters, and route sheets. SIS integration can also be configured so student updates flow into the transportation system without repeated manual uploads.
Activate Live GPS Tracking
For GPS tracking districts, devices are included at no additional hardware cost in Tier 2. Once activated, buses can report live location, mileage, ignition-off visibility, and alerts for speeding, idling, geofences, and route performance.
Launch Driver and Parent Tools
Districts can enable parent app access, driver tablets, student scan-on and scan-off tracking, vehicle inspections, and turn-by-turn navigation depending on their selected tier. These tools reduce calls, support substitute drivers, and document student transportation activity.
Support and Optimize Over Time
After launch, UniteGPS provides unlimited live support with no ticket queues. The founder-led team continues refining the platform from real district feedback, helping transportation departments improve efficiency, safety, communication, and reporting over time.
District Success
See how districts improve routing, safety, parent communication, and transportation accountability with UniteGPS.
Why Choose UniteGPS?
UniteGPS is built for districts that need reliable tools, practical support, and long-term partnership.
FERPA-compliant tools help districts protect student transportation records and parent-facing data.
FERPA Compliant
FERPA-compliant tools help districts protect student transportation records and parent-facing data.
Live Support
Live support connects you with real people, not ticket queues or outsourced layers.
Integrated Platform
Routing, GPS, parent apps, tablets, ridership, and SIS sync work together seamlessly.
Founder Led
Bootstrapped founders prioritize long-term district partnerships over private equity extraction.
Meet the UniteGPS Team
Founder-led transportation technology built from real district needs.
Christopher Bunnell
Co-Founder
Christopher Bunnell is a Co-Founder of UniteGPS, the company he helped launch in 2014 after watching his own children wait in the freezing Maine winter for a school bus with no arrival information. Driven by that firsthand frustration, Chris partnered with Steve C. Lanning and Steven J. Lanning to build a real-time GPS tracking solution that gave families the visibility they deserved. Before UniteGPS, Chris served as the on-site client representative in Baltimore for a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project, while the technical team operated remotely from California. At UniteGPS, Chris has led client relationships and stakeholder engagement since day one, ensuring the platform continues to solve real problems for school districts and transit agencies nationwide.
Steve C. Lanning
Co-Founder
Steve C. Lanning is a Co-Founder of UniteGPS, bringing deep database architecture and enterprise-level technical expertise to the platform since its founding in 2014. Steve previously served as an Oracle database administrator on a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project at the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego, where he first collaborated with Chris Bunnell. In the early years of UniteGPS, Steve balanced the project alongside other professional commitments until growing client traction made it a full-time pursuit. His database expertise has been instrumental in building a reliable, scalable platform that now serves over 100 school districts nationwide, supporting everything from route optimization to student ridership tracking and SIS data integration.
Steven J. Lanning
Co-Founder
Steven J. Lanning is a Co-Founder of UniteGPS and the primary architect behind the Crosswalk platform, which he has built and continuously refined since the company's founding in 2014. Steven began his career on the same Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project as his co-founders, focusing on solution quality assurance and software testing for production readiness while simultaneously pursuing formal software development training. When UniteGPS launched, Steven committed full-time to product development, translating real feedback from transportation directors and drivers into practical platform features. His customer-driven approach to engineering has helped UniteGPS grow into a fully integrated transportation management solution trusted by K-12 districts and transit agencies across the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a school bus tracking and monitoring solution?
A school bus tracking and monitoring solution gives transportation teams real-time visibility into bus locations, routes, driver activity, mileage, alerts, and student ridership. UniteGPS combines live GPS updates, parent app access, route optimization, SIS integration, and optional driver tablets so districts can manage daily operations, improve communication, and document transportation activity in one platform.
How often does UniteGPS update school bus locations?
UniteGPS GPS tracking updates every 5 seconds, giving administrators current bus location data throughout the day. The system works even when the ignition is off and can support speeding, idle, geofence, mileage, and performance monitoring. This helps districts answer parent questions, verify route performance, and make operational decisions using timestamped data instead of guesswork.
Can parents track their child’s bus in real time?
Yes. The Parent School Bus Tracking App lets parents see where their child’s bus is, view ETA information, and access timestamped ride history when enabled by the district. Basic real-time parent tracking is included in Tier 2, while advanced scan-on and scan-off ridership notifications are available with the Tier 3 Tablet Suite.
How much does school bus tracking software cost?
UniteGPS offers tiered pricing based on capability and fleet size. Routing Essentials starts at $49 per month for 1–5 buses, $98 per month for 6–15 buses, and $196 per month for 16+ buses. GPS Tracking & Routing is $25 per bus per month, while the Tablet Suite is $39 per bus per month plus tablet-related costs.
Does UniteGPS help set up routes and student data?
Yes. UniteGPS provides a free 90-day setup process with routes built for the district. The team helps turn student enrollment data into workable bus routes, rosters, and printable route sheets. SIS integration configuration is also handled during onboarding, reducing manual data entry and helping districts launch with accurate transportation data.
Can UniteGPS integrate with our Student Information System?
UniteGPS supports automated SIS integration so student enrollment data can sync into routing and ridership workflows. This keeps routes, stop assignments, and student records aligned with the district’s authoritative enrollment source. It reduces manual roster uploads, helps when students move or change schools, and is included across UniteGPS tiers at no additional charge.
How does student ridership tracking work?
With the Tier 3 Tablet Suite, districts can use card swipe on/off tracking to verify which students rode which bus and when. This creates a safety and compliance audit trail, supports advanced parent notifications, and helps document IEP and special-education transportation activity for Medicaid reimbursement records when applicable.
Is UniteGPS available for districts nationwide?
UniteGPS serves K-12 school districts and small to medium-sized transit agencies nationwide across all 50 states. The platform is cloud-based, and onboarding is handled remotely with live support. Districts in states including Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Mississippi, Texas, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, and Alabama are among the service areas represented.
Still Have Transportation Questions?
Get clear answers on tracking, pricing, setup, and district fit.
Awards and Recognition
Protects student transportation data privacy.
Founder-led company built for long-term service.
FERPA Compliant
Protects student transportation data privacy.
Since 2014
Founder-led company built for long-term service.
100+ Districts
Trusted by districts across the United States.
