TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District Transportation Department is rolling out its new SMART Tag™ student ridership solution system for the 2022-2023 school year. Bus riders will be able to pick up their tags over the next two weeks to prepare for the start of the school year.
With the new system, students will use their tags to scan on and off of the school bus each day. Tags are currently available for families to pick up at the TISD Transportation Department Office (919 N. 31st Street) through August 19th. The tags will also be available for pickup at the 6th grade orientation at each of the three middle schools on August 17th. Tags will be available at the 9th grade parent meeting at Temple High School on August 16th. Ninth graders may also pick up their tags at orientation at the high school on August 18th. Elementary school students may pick up their SMART tags™ at Meet the Teacher Night at their respective schools on August 18th. Pre-K students may pick up their tags at Meet the Teacher Night at Meridith-Dunbar Early Childhood Academy on August 22nd. If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the transportation office at 254-215-6966, or visit the district’s SMART tag™ website at: Smart Tag – Transportation – Temple Independent School District (tisd.org).
“We are very excited to roll out the new SMART Tag™ program. This new program will enhance safety and security for all of our bus riders and drivers,” said Kent Boyd, assistant superintendent of facilities and operations for Temple schools. “The sooner we can get the tags in the hands of our students, the better. Therefore, we would like to encourage all parents of riders to pick up tags before school starts at one of the designated times and locations.”
SMART tag™ is an innovative system that utilizes secure cloud technology to share real time information for school transportation systems. The program is designed to increase safety, security, visibility and communication for transportation departments. The SMART tag™ system will provide the district with data on student ridership, pre/post trip inspections, mileage, and much more. SMART tag’s™ patented system allows drivers to view important details about their bus route including the number of stops, their location, and which students are assigned to each stop. Easy to use tablets equipped with an NFC reader ensure students are riding the right bus and are getting off at the right bus stop. Students will scan on and off the bus via the tablet and drivers will be presented with an alert if a student tries to scan off at a stop that is not his/hers. In addition, SMART tag™ will allow the transportation department to monitor all route activity including stop locations, time stamps, what students were picked up and dropped off, GPS points, and bus speed. There is also a secure parent web app to help families keep up with expected arrival times of their students which should go online later in the 2022-2023 school year. The school district approved the purchase of the system last December. The SMART tag™ system is currently used by more than 50 school districts in Texas, along with a number of large school districts in other states.