The school board will be asked Monday to approve a contract to spend $312,544 with TransAct Communication for tablets and hardware that would replace paper packets that bus drivers use to navigate Lexington streets.
“The tablet will allow for audible guidance to keep the drivers focused on the road and provide a map should there be a need to navigate the route due to other issues,” agenda documents said.
The system would also help drivers ensure students aren’t boarding the wrong bus, and it would allow the district to communicate directly with families about potential issues related to buses via text.
“Text messaging can be a very responsive communication tool when interacting with our families,” the agenda documents said.
If approved, 315 school buses would be equipped with tablets. The district would establish a trial group of buses to work through issues before full implementation in fall 2026.
Technology allowing students to check in when they board a bus would begin in spring 2026.
The recurring costs would be $560 per vehicle per year and $8 per student, per year, based on 22,000 students transported each school day.
Ultimately, as the system develops, “parents will be able to track where their children are on the road,” said Stephen Ramsay, Associate Director of Transportation — Routing, for Fayette schools.
A student’s primary contact would be the only person who could access that information.
School districts all over the country are using similar systems.
Jefferson County Public Schools just spent another $1 million on bus routing software, the Courier-Journal reported.
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