Live bus tracking in CampusConnect uses the driver’s phone: when the driver starts a trip in the CampusConnect app, the bus location is shared while the trip runs. Parents of students on that route see the bus move, and the school sees every bus on one map. There’s no separate GPS device to buy or install. This guide covers the setup.
What you need
- A smartphone for each driver with the CampusConnect app installed, location turned on and mobile data.
- The driver’s mobile number (they sign in with it).
- Your list of vehicles, routes and stops, and which students use each route.
Step 1: add vehicles
Open Transport & library → Vehicles and add each bus or van with its registration number and any details you track (capacity, for example).
Step 2: add drivers
Open Transport & library → Drivers and add each driver with their mobile number. The mobile number is how they sign in: drivers open the CampusConnect app, choose driver sign-in, enter your school code and their mobile number, and confirm with a one-time code sent by SMS.
Link drivers, vehicles and routes as your transport setup requires.
Step 3: create routes and stops
Open Transport & library → Routes. Create each route with its stops in order. Clear stop names matter — parents recognise “Shivaji Chowk, near the temple” more easily than “Stop 4”.
Step 4: assign students to routes
Use Assign students to routes to place each student on their route (and stop). Check the result in Students on routes. Only parents of students assigned to a route can see that route’s bus.
If you also charge transport fees by route, make sure the fee setup matches the assignments.
Step 5: run a test trip
Before telling parents, do a test:
- The driver signs in on their phone and taps to start the trip.
- In the web app, open Live bus tracking — the bus should appear on the map and move as the driver drives.
- Sign in as a student assigned to the route and open Live Bus in the app. The bus should appear.
- The driver ends the trip at the last stop.
- Check recent trips and replay the test trip.
Tip: test in an area where you know the mobile signal is weak. Location updates depend on the driver’s phone having a connection.
Step 6: brief drivers
A five-minute briefing prevents most problems:
- Start the trip before leaving the first stop; end it at the last stop.
- Keep location on and the phone charged — a car charger helps.
- Don’t use the phone while driving; the app shares location on its own once the trip has started.
- Call the transport in-charge if the app asks them to sign in again.
Step 7: tell parents
Send a notice: which routes are live, where to find Live Bus in the app, and that the bus appears only while a trip is running. Parents appreciate knowing that the location is shared only during trips.
Privacy
The location shared is the bus’s, from the driver’s phone, and only while a trip is running. It is visible to the school’s admins and to parents of students on that route. Mention this in your notice to parents and staff.
Troubleshooting
- Bus not visible to a parent — check the student is assigned to that route and that a trip is running.
- Bus jumps or freezes — usually a weak signal on the driver’s phone; it catches up when the connection returns.
- Driver can’t sign in — check the mobile number in Drivers matches the phone, and that they are using the right school code. After several wrong codes, sign-in is paused for a short time for security.
Want to see it running? Book a demo and we’ll show you the driver app and the live map.