New Hanover County Schools rolls out new bus tracking app as students return to class

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — As students head back to class Monday, New Hanover County Schools is giving parents a new way to keep track of their child’s school bus and prepare for possible pickup and drop-off delays.

The district is replacing its Edulog Parent Portal with the Chipmunk Bus Tracking App, which allows families to view the location of their student’s bus in real time.

All New Hanover County Schools buses are equipped with GPS trackers. The app uses that information to display a bus on a map and provide estimated arrival times. Parents can also receive notifications about scheduled pickup and drop-off times, bus substitutions and changes to bus assignments.

The district says the tool could be particularly useful during the first days of school, when families and drivers are adjusting to new routes and schedules.

Parents must have a bus stop assigned to their student and registered through Infinite Campus before setting up the app. The email address used to create a Chipmunk account must match the email listed in the student’s Infinite Campus account.

Multiple children can be added to the same parent account, with route information and notifications provided separately for each student.

Despite the real-time tracking feature, school officials say students should still be at their morning bus stop at least 10 minutes before their scheduled pickup time.

The app is available at no cost for Android and Apple devices with an internet connection.