Presented by Transfinder
Norman Public Schools (NPS) in Norman, Oklahoma, has improved the reliability and efficiency of its transportation system by utilizing Transfinder’s suite of technology solutions. For starters, by implementing Transfinder’s parent app Stopfinder, a communication and tracking tool, NPS has not only made its operations more efficient but also provided parents with an unprecedented level of peace of mind.
Managing student transportation in a district as large as NPS is no small feat. With 106 buses, 13 vans, and seven Suburbans covering 186 square miles daily, the department is responsible for transporting 9,000 students each day across 78 routes—30 of which serve special education students. J. Graham, financial secretary and office manager for Transportation Services at NPS, knows firsthand the importance of safety and efficiency.
“I’m very passionate about just getting kids to and from school,” Graham says. “Number one, safely. Number two, efficiently. And then putting the knowledge and the tools into the parents’ hands to give them the peace of mind that they know where their student is at all times.”
To achieve this goal, NPS has fully embraced Transfinder’s technology, using Routefinder PLUS for routing, Servicefinder for maintenance, and most notably, Stopfinder for real-time communication with parents.
Before using Stopfinder, parents had limited visibility into their child’s transportation schedule. They often had to rely on phone calls to the school or transportation office for updates—an inefficient process for both parents and staff. But after attending Transfinder’s Annual Client Summit in San Antonio, Graham came back with an idea that would change everything: QR codes.
“The CEO of Transfinder loves QR codes,” Graham said, referring to Antonio Civitella. “Every minute he was talking about, he’s like, ‘Use a QR code, use a QR code.’ And that’s one little nugget that I took back with me here.”
NPS started placing QR codes everywhere—on every school bus, in school offices, and even on student ID badges. Parents could simply scan the code to access the Stopfinder app, making the sign-up process seamless.
“It’s just made engagement so easy,” Graham said. “That’s the thing with parents nowadays—they’re busy. They’ve got multiple activities, sports, music lessons, and their own jobs. We needed to make it as easy as possible for them.”
“When I first started this little program,” he continued, “we were at 9.3 percent active accounts. Yesterday we were at 58.86 percent. And today, we’re at 59.12 percent. We went up almost 0.3 percent overnight.”
Real-Time Tracking
With Stopfinder, parents no longer must wonder where their child’s bus is or if their child made it on board. The app provides real-time GPS tracking, push notifications, and GeoAlerts that inform parents when the bus is approaching or leaving a designated location.
“If a student gets on the bus, the parents get a notification down to the second,” Graham said. “If Sally got off at 1st and Main Street at 3:15 pm, her parents would know immediately.”
This level of transparency has significantly reduced the number of phone calls the transportation office receives from concerned parents.
“Dramatically, our phone has stopped ringing as much,” Graham said. “Parents have a little piece of power, a little piece of security, a little piece of that good feeling—they know exactly where their student is.”
Adapting to Challenges
The benefits of Stopfinder extend beyond daily tracking. The system has proven especially useful during unexpected disruptions, such as driver shortages or school closures due to weather or illness.
“Oklahoma is the second-highest state for flu outbreaks right now,” Graham said. “We’ve had drivers out, we’ve had teachers out. So, our parents have been calling, and we’re like, ‘Hey, have you heard about Stopfinder?’ And that’s helping our growth.”
Beyond tracking, NPS has also equipped its buses with RFID technology, allowing students to scan on and off the bus with ID cards. This further enhances the system’s accuracy and gives parents even greater confidence in their child’s safety.
Graham and his team are committed to continuing their efforts to improve student transportation. With the success of Stopfinder, NPS plans to keep expanding its use of Transfinder’s technology to enhance efficiency and communication.
“Our goal is to keep students on the bus for no more than 60 minutes,” Graham says. “With Transfinder’s tools, we’ve achieved that. Stopfinder helps parents know exactly where their students are, and that’s what brings me joy—to give these parents what I didn’t necessarily have when my son was in school.”