JCPS rolls out new bus portal for parents, students to track pickups, drop offs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Jefferson County Public Schools has a new app to help parents find their child's bus.

Monday, JCPS drivers received their routes for the 2024-25 school year to begin practicing. The district said roughly 65% of bus routes mirror each other, meaning drivers' morning routes reflect afternoon routes.

Parents can also now access its Bus Teller portal. Bus Teller will allow parents to see the bus stop and time assigned to their child.

JCPS encourages families to check the portal daily, as location or times may change.

Click here: Bus Teller Portal Link

But some families shared concerns about transportation.

"I logged in online to check on Dallas and our other child just to see how things are going and progressing with it," Brianna Hobbs, who is the mother of two JCPS students.

Hobbs has a 6-year-old, so there is a lot of excitement about the first day of school.

"It's been a long summer, so he's really excited to get back into school and get started with everything," Hobbs said.

But there's also some anxiety.

"We filled out the transportation for him back in May, and then as of yesterday and this morning, he did not have a bus for him at this time," Hobbs said.

The bus teller portal is expected to help parents see when bus stops and pickup times are assigned to their child.

"I do think it's a great idea," Hobbs said. "However, the number of parents and people that I have talked to who still don't have any information as to buses just yet makes us alarmed."

Carolyn Callahan, JCPS' chief of communications, said students' back to school journey should start with the transportation portal.

"This is the first year we're using Bus Teller. Previously, we used Bus Finder. The main difference is that Bus Teller is going to give you the one safe spot for your child for their bus stop and their bus pickup," Callahan said. "They'll log in, and they will see their child's name and they can pick Bus Teller, it will show them where their stop is in the morning, where their stop is in the afternoon, projected time for arrival and drop off."

Callahan encourages parents to continuously check Bus Teller for updates.

JCPS told WDRB some families have reached out regarding bus stop times being just a few minutes before the first bell. The district said it is addressing those concerns.

The hotline has also opened two weeks earlier this year to help families with questions or concerns.

To access the hotline, dial 485-RIDE.

The hotline will be open five days a week, taking calls from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., though hours may be adjusted depending on call volume. The hotline will remain open several days into the school year.

"We are answering all of the parents' calls. We've already had more than 200 calls today," Callahan said.

JCPS said its bus tracking app EduLog will also be available for parents to track their student's buses this school year.

District officials said they're doing everything they can to make sure they don't repeat last year's chaotic first day, when some students didn't get home until 10 p.m., and several days of classes were canceled to resolve the issues.

Right now, about a dozen TARC drivers are expected to be ready by the first day of school. The rest should start in mid-September.

District leaders are expecting all current bus drivers to be ready by the time classes resume on Aug. 8.

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