A new smartphone app is now available to help Beaufort County parents keep tabs on their children’s school bus routes.

Using tracking technology installed on Beaufort County Schools buses, the Here Comes the Bus app allows parents to receive notifications when their child’s bus is approaching the bus stop, as well as keep track of when the bus arrives and departs school.

“There are several ways we anticipate this program to work for us,” said Jerry Wynne, BCS transportation coordinator. “One is, it will notify the parents when the bus is coming, instead of students standing out at the stop and waiting for the bus to come.”

Wynne says this will be especially helpful on rainy days, so students won’t have to wait around in bad weather conditions for their buses to arrive. Instead, the notifications are timed so that students and the buses can arrive at the bus stop at the same time. This also means less unsupervised time at the bus stop, which can help mitigate potential safety issues.

“Safety and comfort is the concept there,” Wynne said. “It’s also a communication device. Here at this office, we can push out text messages if we have early dismissal because of emergencies or weather, or if we have a delayed opening. … It’s a direct point of contact. ”

Parents are also free to share their child’s bus information with grandparents, childcare providers and others who might play a role in getting kids to and from school, according to Wynne.

In order to sign up for the service, parents should do the following:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app via, or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Click the “Sign Up” button
3. Enter school code 74423 and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add.” Enter your child’s last name and student ID number. Visit your school to request a Student ID number.

The Here Come the Bus app is available, free of charge, to download via the App Store or Google Play, and works with both smartphones and tablets. Once registered, parents can choose how they want to receive notifications.

For more information on the app, visit www.herecomesthebus.com.