Launch of a new IT transport system on our school buses

Dear parents,

APEEE is pleased to inform you that as of 7 January 2020 the new IT system for monitoring pupils’ presence on the school buses has been fully operational. The new system responds directly to our commitment to ensure the highest safety and security standards in the daily operation of the transport service.

What is the new IT check-in/check-out system?

This is an IT system that will be used by the monitors on the buses to verify whether the children

·get on the right bus

·step out of the bus at the correct stop

·need to be picked up by an adult at the bus stop or are authorised to leave the bus on their own.

The new IT system allows for the APEEE Transport office to get direct information on who is on which bus, as well as on the exact location of each bus at any given moment. This information will significantly improve and facilitate the communication flow with parents, and will enable our staff to provide real-time, accurate information to parents regarding the location of their children.

It is currently used on the buses of the first departure (except for minibuses or buses going to the OIB afterschool centres). Those buses carry our younger pupils, whose safety needs to be ensured at all times. In the future, APEEE will consider expanding the use of the check-in/check-out system on the other bus departures.

This IT transport system (“Bus presence” application) has been created in-house by the APEEE IT manager. The project was presented in detail and endorsed already at our previous APEEE General Meeting (January 2019). Yet, the official launch of the system was only made possible after several months of scrupulous testing and training of all staff involved, in order to minimise the risk of human error in the operation of the system.

How does it work?

APEEE has provided the designated bus monitors with tablets, purchased specifically for this purpose. The tablets are equipped with the new IT transport application, and can only be used for the duration of the respective route. 

Each bus monitor performs an electronic check-in/check-out operation for the pupils using the bus. They also mark the time of arrival at each bus stop and signal any delays or other problems encountered.

The APEEE Transport Office has real-time access to the information registered by the bus monitors, and is also able to monitor the exact location of each bus through a new TV screen in the Transport Office.

Occasional changes to the official schedule of pupils regarding the use of the bus will also be introduced electronically in the tablets of the bus monitors concerned, in order to be taken account of in the check-in/ check-out operation.  

Is the system secure?

The personal data available on the tablets is the same that has always been provided to bus monitors in a printed form. It is strictly limited to what is necessary to ensure the smooth operation of this service (name of the pupil, photo, bus stop, phone numbers of parents) and is only available for the duration of each bus route. In order to protect this data, APEEE has put in place all possible security requirements, including the instalment of specific software by Proximus on the tablets that blocks access to this application before or after the operation of the service and allows for all data to be permanently erased, in case of loss or theft of the tablets. No other IT application can be downloaded on these devices.

The new IT system is fully GDPR-compliant. Moreover, all bus attendants have signed a declaration of confidentiality and compliance with GDPR legislation and the APEEE Privacy statement.

What are the future prospects?

The application should be enriched by further functionalities in the future, which are directly linked with the new Backoffice system that the APEEE will put in place in the coming months. For example, the system could provide the possibility for parents to log in and check on-line whether their own child is on the bus, as whether delays are reported on the way. We will keep you informed on all developments.

We remain committed to ensuring smooth and pleasant school transport and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year 2020,

Your APEEE Transport Working Group