Phone ID on buses

[PROUD MEMBER]

Stopped by the yard today to drop off my medical and was talking to Bobby. He told me there is going to be some kind of new thing on the buses when each child gets on he has to swipe something that automatically lets the board of Ed know that that child is on the bus and if he doesn't have his ID card then you have to program his name in. Each driver has to go into the drivers room every morning and get some kind of phone or something. Maybe Buzz can get the specifics of whatever the hell it is. I see a lot of guys retiring.

[TheKid24]

Stopped by the yard today to drop off my medical and was talking to Bobby. He told me there is going to be some kind of new thing on the buses when each child gets on he has to swipe something that automatically lets the board of Ed know that that child is on the bus and if he doesn't have his ID card then you have to program his name in. Each driver has to go into the drivers room every morning and get some kind of phone or something. Maybe Buzz can get the specifics of whatever the hell it is. I see a lot of guys retiring.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 whatever happened to just driving the bus

[TheKid24]

You know how
Many kids are gonna lose
Their "phones", leave it on the bus

[faceit]

The kids aren't going to have the phones we are they need to carry a identification card to swipe

[Buzz]

Sounds like they're finally implementing the "Via" GPS and routing system. If you recall, somebody from OPT came to one of our safety meeting in the spring of 2019 and told us about this. He sarcastically said, "If any of you were thinking about retiring you're going to want to hold off when you hear this," knowing it wouldn't be very popular.

Via could not be installed in time for the city council's mandate of Sept. 5, 2019 so they temporarily installed the GPS systems we currently have. You know, the one that tells them how many times you've made harsh turns. 

And as PROUD MEMBER said, these units are going to have to be turned in and picked up from the office every day. (He called the units "phones," they look more like tablets from pics I've seen.) Be prepared to stand on line a while. Leave it to OPT to figure out ways to fuck things up even more.

And if that isn't enough, I also learned that schools again are given the choice of changing their session times ... which will certainly fuck up a lot of runs. The first one we know of is IS 72 going from a 1:30 dismissal to 2:20 come September. That alone will fuck up dozens of runs. And there will be more.

Below are some articles that explain the Via system.

https://gothamist.com/news/parents-will-be-able-to-track-nyc-school-buses-with-an-app

https://stnonline.com/news/gps-and-parent-apps-are-coming-to-new-york-city-school-buses/

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-school-bus-gps-20190911-qfryx3svjrdyzkvyrovhme4jvi-story.html

[Buzz]

The kids aren't going to have the phones we are they need to carry a identification card to swipe

Correct.

[PROUD MEMBER]

Hmmm
Stand on line for a tablet. It bad enough for the past year on a few occasions I had to go into the driver's room to get another driver's card for him. Which I didn't mind. I hope he doesn't think I'm waiting on line to get him a tablet!!! Lol
I'm not mentioning any names!!!

[Buzz]

Hmmm
Stand on line for a tablet. It bad enough for the past year on a few occasions I had to go into the driver's room to get another driver's card for him. Which I didn't mind. I hope he doesn't think I'm waiting on line to get him a tablet!!! Lol
I'm not mentioning any names!!!

LOL ... no sense both standing there.   

[TheKid24]

They had us return to the yard after our AM run to have these things installed. Guy was supposed to be there at 8AM, he showed up at 9:45 🤦🏻‍♂️. They also installed the charging stations for the phones

[TheKid24]

And it begins

[Buzz]

What are we looking at here?

What did he put in your bus?

Why did the driver have to be there?

[Buzz]

OK ... another driver explained to me that the box in the top picture that you posted is what the phones go into each night to be charged. It is located where the trip card racks used to be. (Apparently a shelf or table has been built for these charging units.)  The card racks have been moved to the hallway that leads to the back door. (Cluster fuck #1)

He sent me this picture of what gets installed in buses, minus the phone that goes in the holder in the picture. I heard that even the people installing them, sent by the DOE, said they're not going to last.

[TheKid24]

What are we looking at here?

What did he put in your bus?

Why did the driver have to be there?

I put photos up if you actually click the topic thread on the home page of this topic

[Buzz]

I put photos up if you actually click the topic thread on the home page of this topic

How else would I have posted my questions?

[TheKid24]

Gotta return after my AM for training on this thing....paper says we gotta sign in to
Claim our routes every AM/PM 🤦🏻‍♂️ Some new technology real time route GPS

[TheKid24]

Ok guys get ready for this shit....

They put a bar code on the back of our Board of Education ID, we have to scan in and out every AM shift and PM shift. When you're two mins from the stop a message will be sent to the parents through an app letting them know we are near by for a pick up and drop off. A roster of the kids at each stop will pop up and as the kid scans themselves on the bus it highlights their name. If they don't scan in it lose their card we gotta do it manually. All the seniority drivers that were like ok so when a car hits our kids because we were looking at the computer then what. Then Owen was like I asked all these questions and they didn't have answers. And apparently if you have no kids in the PM you gotta go to the school log in then leave 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Buzz]

Ridiculous. The bar code should be on a separate ID card. Our DOE ID should stay in our wallet ... less likely to be lost. I'm wondering if a picture of the bar code would scan ... either from a phone or laminated and kept on one's key chain.

They never think shit all the way through.

Question: If you don't scan, will your bus start?

[TheKid24]

I give this program maybe 2 months before we say screw it

[TheKid24]

Ridiculous. The bar code should be on a separate ID card. Our DOE ID should stay in our wallet ... less likely to be lost. I'm wondering if a picture of the bar code would scan ... either from a phone or laminated and kept on one's key chain.

They never think shit all the way through.

Question: If you don't scan, will your bus start?

Yeah it will start, if you don't scan you can't pick your bus number and bus route. Also this will be a big issue. If someone picks your route by mistake and just goes about his day lol you can't log into your route. Also if you don't scan you won't be "online" for the parents or office to know exactly where the bus is during the route. It's like a live GPS system I guess. MTA wannabe program

[PROUD MEMBER]

And what happens if you're covering another run besides ur own?
Will the system allow you to download two runs?
What happens if you are on the road and a dispatcher comes over the air and says, "can anyone pick up two stops going into?"
What happens if you're at ur PM school waiting and a dispatcher asks "can anyone can cover another PM run?"

[Buzz]

All good questions, PROUD MEMBER. Something tells me they won't have answers.

[Buzz]

So, it would seem to me that this should eliminate the need for trip cards, no?

[TheKid24]

And what happens if you're covering another run besides ur own?
Will the system allow you to download two runs?
What happens if you are on the road and a dispatcher comes over the air and says, "can anyone pick up two stops going into?"
What happens if you're at ur PM school waiting and a dispatcher asks "can anyone can cover another PM run?"

Was told "we don't know yet"

[TheKid24]

So, it would seem to me that this should eliminate the need for trip cards, no?

As of now, no because that has to do with Payroll I assume

[TheKid24]

The tech guy couldn't get myself at least 5 of us set up in the system so who knows what's going on with that lol. I'm sure you guys will receive "training" during your refresher

[Buzz]

Good news ... I hear the program has already been suspended and limited to the buses in which it's all ready installed, for the time being ... or hopefully forever.

I understand they realized there are too many questions to which they didn't have answers and have had trouble getting it to work in some of the buses in which it was installed.

Who couldn't have predicted this?

[TheKid24]

Good news ... I hear the program has already been suspended and limited to the buses in which it's all ready installed, for the time being ... or hopefully forever.

I understand they realized there are too many questions to which they didn't have answers and have had trouble getting it to work in some of the buses in which it was installed.

Who couldn't have predicted this?

Someone actually said its
Going to end up being a phone charger for android users lol. Whom did you hear this from may I ask? It was only installed in maybe 20 buses if that.  It's
Installed in my bus I hope I don't have to use it lol

[TheKid24]

It wouldn't be fair if only the people that had it installed have to use it if the program is being suspended

[PROUD MEMBER]

"It wouldn't be fair"
I know ur new but ur not that new!!!

[TheKid24]

"It wouldn't be fair"
I know ur new but ur not that new!!!

If the program is being suspended why should those who have it on the bus still have to use it? Makes no sense

[Buzz]

I don't know if the ones that are already installed will be operational ... that remains to be seen. But installation has been suspended for the time being.

[TheKid24]

Guess this ain't suspended after all....

Someone sent me a sign in the office just now...

VIA Login
All drivers both Gen Ed & Special Ed must use their via phone beginning Thursday August 12th.

You will be issued a device in the AM and you must return it in the PM each day.

You must log in at the beginning of your AM run and log out when completed. You must do the same in the afternoon

[Buzz]

I said the installation has been suspended ... and it has.

You're one of the few "lucky" ones (I think there are 25) who will be part of the "pilot program." Let's see this lead balloon fly!   

[TheKid24]

I said the installation has been suspended ... and it has.

You're one of the few "lucky" ones (I think there are 25) who will be part of the "pilot program." Let's see this lead balloon fly!   

I think 18 of the 25 will pop the balloon intentionally 🤣🤣

[mirrorcheck]

No connectivity and the phone is an hour behind . Owen got the tech person on the phone she prompted us to do the same things we were taught now she has to call above her . You can't make this shit up!!! Lmao

[TheKid24]

No connectivity and the phone is an hour behind . Owen got the tech person on the phone she prompted us to do the same things we were taught now she has to call above her . You can't make this shit up!!! Lmao

I just got here tried logging in and it keeps popping up as an error message...also the phone is too heavy for the holder it keeps falling out 🤦🏻‍♂️

[Buzz]

No connectivity and the phone is an hour behind . Owen got the tech person on the phone she prompted us to do the same things we were taught now she has to call above her . You can't make this shit up!!! Lmao

Well see, this is what I was wondering. How isit supposed to connect with no wi-fi? Do the phones have SIM cards so the can connect like a regular phone? Seems like they could have tested this on their own.

Nothing different than what was expected. The DOE doesn't disappoint. 

[Buzz]

I just got here tried logging in and it keeps popping up as an error message...also the phone is too heavy for the holder it keeps falling out 🤦🏻‍♂️

"This system will self-destruct in 5 ... 4 ... 3 ..." 

[TheKid24]

No connectivity and the phone is an hour behind . Owen got the tech person on the phone she prompted us to do the same things we were taught now she has to call above her . You can't make this shit up!!! Lmao

Well see, this is what I was wondering. How isit supposed to connect with no wi-fi? Do the phones have SIM cards so the can connect like a regular phone? Seems like they could have tested this on their own.
Nothing different than what was expected. The DOE doesn't disappoint. 

Only thing that worked was when you plugged it in to charge but we couldn't log in...apparently they got someone coming down again

[Buzz]

Talked to another driver this morning and he says he was able to log in ... and out.

Also, a question I raised on here has been answered. A picture on your phone of the QR code they put on your ID card will work just as well as the original.

[TheKid24]

Talked to another driver this morning and he says he was able to log in ... and out.

Also, a question I raised on here has been answered. A picture on your phone of the QR code they put on your ID card will work just as well as the original.

I got there and all the phones were in the charger box, seemed like they didn't make an issue to give them out today on the last day BUT regardless of signing in or not there is still tons of issues, scenarios that put kids and our safety in question with questions nobody knows the answers too but all I know is at the end of the day safety > technology