Live school bus & van tracking. From your gate to theirs.
Track your child's school bus or private van live, get instant pickup and drop alerts, and see every completed ride. Need a van? Search your school, compare verified routes near your home, and request a seat—all in one free parent app.
A Tuesday morning
The worst part isn't the waiting. It's not knowing.
7:15 AM
The van is late again.
You check the window. You call the driver — he doesn't pick up, because he's driving. So you wait, and you refresh a WhatsApp group that nobody answers.
7:22 AM
You open SchoolBuswala.
The van is on the map, two streets away, moving. Not a message from someone guessing — the actual vehicle, right now.
7:24 AM
Your phone buzzes once.
Aarav boarded. You didn't ask anyone, and nobody had to remember to tell you.
Aarav boarded
Picked up at Parijat Nagar · 7:24 AM
You still can't drive the van yourself. You just never have to wonder where it is.
Built for child safety first
Not a safety promise —
a checklist you can actually see.
Live tracking alone doesn't tell you who is actually driving. SchoolBuswala adds real driver verification, instant alerts, a full trip history, and secure payments underneath it — so when we call something safe, you can see exactly why.
What “verified” actually means
A route stays invisible until the driver clears every check.
- ✓Personal details confirmed
- ✓Driving licence uploaded and reviewed
- ✓Vehicle and RC matched to the van
- ✓Bank details verified for payouts
If even one of these is still pending, the route just won't turn up when a parent searches for it — there is no way to skip the queue.
Verified drivers & vehicles
Licence and vehicle documents reviewed before a route goes live. Parents only see operators who passed verification — no anonymous vans on the map.
Live GPS you can trust
Bus location streams over Firebase in real time — not a stale pin from five minutes ago. Parents see the van on the actual road during every active trip.
Instant pickup & drop alerts
Push notification, email, and WhatsApp the moment your child boards or reaches home. No guessing. No morning panic calls.
Timestamped trip proof
Every pickup and drop logged automatically. If there is ever a dispute, you have a digital record — not a WhatsApp argument.
Active ride always visible
While a trip is running, a sticky bar follows parents on every screen — one tap to the live map. Safety should never be buried three menus deep.
Works with any GPS
We do not sell hardware. Keep the AIS-140 device your permit already requires — we read the tracker that is fitted, any brand, or pull positions from your vendor's API.
Attendance, not just location
A tracker reports the vehicle. We record the child — who boarded, who was dropped, at what time, per stop. That is the part a GPS device was never built to answer.
Secure payments & step-up auth
Razorpay for in-app fees. Sensitive operator actions require a fresh OTP to your own phone — so a stolen session cannot move money.
Feature by feature
One platform. Three audiences.
Peace of mind from gate to doorstep.
Free forever. Know where the bus is, when your child got on, and when they came home — without a single morning call.
Safety & alerts
Live map tracking
See the bus move on Google Maps in real time during ONGOING trips. Firebase-first location — fast enough to trust with your child.
Pickup & drop notifications
FCM push plus email and WhatsApp when your child is picked up or dropped. Tap "Track bus" from the notification.
Verified operator only
Enroll on routes where the driver and vehicle passed document checks. We do not show unverified vans to parents.
30-day trip history
Every ride logged with status and timestamps. Check last month anytime — proof that today was not a one-off.
Daily convenience
Active ride sticky bar
Trip running? A bottom bar on every tab shows live status — tap once for the full map. Like the best ride apps, built for school.
Family on one login
Account → Family. Names plus You. College students 18+ can ride as themselves. Children stay on a parent login.
Smart van suggestions
Drop your home pin, pick your school, and see matching verified routes nearby — ranked by distance and trust.
Invite waiting on Home
If your driver already knows you, they share a WhatsApp link. Sign in with that number — the invite is on Home. No code to paste.
Monthly invoices & pay in app
Distance-based billing, one invoice per month, pay with Razorpay — no cash chase, no awkward reminders.
Run a safe, professional school van business.
Own a car and run a school route? Digital student list, live GPS parents can see, verified profile, and auto billing — replace the WhatsApp chaos.
Safety & trust
Verified driver profile
Upload licence and vehicle papers once. Verified badge builds parent trust — more enrollments, less churn.
Foreground GPS sharing
Location runs from a proper foreground service while you drive — parents see you live, you stay focused on the road.
One-tap pickup & drop
Mark each student as you go. Parents get notified instantly. Full audit trail protects you if anyone questions a stop.
See absences before you leave
Today's passenger list shows who is coming. Driver can mark not-coming — no wasted stops at empty gates.
Run your route
Recurring route templates
Set Mon–Fri (or custom days), morning and evening runs, seat capacity per van. Each day's trip is generated for you automatically.
Route map & student pins
Every pickup point on the map. Turn-by-turn context for helpers covering your route.
Accept enrollments digitally
Parents request a seat — you approve from the app. No paper forms, no lost phone numbers.
Invite families you already carry
Share from your WhatsApp. They open the app on that number. You still confirm the seat — an invite is not a filled roster.
Payouts & platform plan
See what parents owe you. ₹299/mo platform plan after beta — seat capacity matches your actual van size.
One console for every bus, driver, and student.
See every van carrying your students — including the ones you do not own — free and read-only. Then manage your own fleet, routes, enrollments, billing, and trip history from institute.schoolbuswala.com.
Fleet & safety oversight
Institutions & my institution
School admins get a focused view of their own fleet — every route, driver, and enrollment for their institution, and nothing outside it.
Fleet & driver registry
Every vehicle and driver in one place. Review documents, assign drivers to routes, block unverified assets from going live.
Routes & live trip history
Create and edit corridors. Drill into any completed trip — who rode, when they were picked up, when the bus ended.
Enrollment approvals
Pending requests queue. Approve students onto the right route before they ever see a live map.
Invite a family onto a route
Send the parent's number from the console. They see Invite waiting on Home. You still confirm the seat.
The July 2026 rules
Parent tracking app
The amended Maharashtra rules require operators to provide an app where parents follow the vehicle live. That is the parent app, included at no cost to families.
Digital attendance records
Per-child boarding and drop, timestamped, retained. No VLTD produces this — a tracker reports the vehicle, the rules ask about the student.
Parent notification system
Push, email and WhatsApp when a child boards or is dropped. The third of the three software obligations, already running.
Keep your existing VLTD
Your permit requires an AIS-140 device and that stays exactly as your RTO wants it. We read whatever is fitted — we do not sell hardware or ask you to replace anything.
Three of eleven, honestly
We cover the app, the attendance record and the alerts. CCTV, seat belts, fire kit, the attendant and police verification are yours — we will not pretend otherwise.
Operations & money
Student roster
Search every enrolled child across the platform or your institution. Tie riders to routes and guardians.
Billing ledger
Invoices and payment status per student. Transport fees collected on time — less admin chasing cash.
Driver payouts
See what operators are owed per corridor. Clear money trail between parents, platform, and fleet.
Trip history & compliance
Audit any driver's runs for safety reviews. Export-ready record when parents or regulators ask questions.
School year
Publish this year and the next. Families keep the dates they agreed until they tap Accept next year.
The honest comparison
Still managing on WhatsApp?
Here's what it's costing you.
Morning location calls
WhatsApp today
"Bhaiya kahan ho?" — every parent, every morning.
SchoolBuswala
Parents just open the app and see exactly where the van is — nobody has to call and ask.
Monthly fee collection
WhatsApp today
You end up chasing parents for cash all month, sending the same awkward follow-up again and again, and half the time it just gets ignored.
SchoolBuswala
An invoice goes out on its own, and payment gets collected online — no more awkward reminders.
Student absent today
WhatsApp today
A parent messages that their child is absent, you don't catch it in time, and you're standing at the gate for ten minutes waiting on a kid who was never coming.
SchoolBuswala
The parent marks it absent with one tap, and you already know before you've even left the house.
New parent joins
WhatsApp today
Save their number, add them to the group, type out instructions, explain how tracking works — that's twenty minutes gone for one new parent.
SchoolBuswala
Send one link. They open it, and live tracking just starts.
Knowing who's coming
WhatsApp today
You message the whole group and wait on replies that trickle in one at a time, still not sure who is coming by the time you actually have to leave.
SchoolBuswala
Open the app and today's list is already sitting there — who's confirmed, who's absent, all of it.
Driver identity
WhatsApp today
Anyone with a phone number can join the group — there is no licence check, and parents genuinely have no idea who is behind the wheel.
SchoolBuswala
The licence and the vehicle are verified before a route ever goes live, so parents are only ever looking at drivers we have actually checked.
Proof of pickup/drop
WhatsApp today
There is no record of any of it, so if a parent claims their child wasn't picked up, you have got nothing to point to.
SchoolBuswala
Every pickup and drop gets timestamped automatically, so there is an actual record the moment someone asks.
Van operators using SchoolBuswala save 45+ minutes every morning.
No more calls, no more chasing cash, no more standing at the gate for a kid who was never coming.
How it works
Set up once.
Runs every day after that.
Set up once in 10 minutes
Add your students, set your route, and enter the monthly fee. Upload your documents once, and your digital van business is up and running — no paperwork trail to chase, no tech background required.
→ One setup — it just keeps running.
Parents join from a WhatsApp invite
Share one link from your chat. If they already have the app, the invite is waiting on Home — no code to type. If not, they install and sign in with that number.
→ Nobody calls asking how it works.
Everything runs on auto
Every morning, parents can see your live location without picking up the phone. Every month, billing generates and collects itself. If a student's absent, one tap tells you before you've even left the house.
→ You drive. Everything else already happened.
Who we serve
Schools, fleets, and anyone
with a school van.
A coaching centre with two vans and a school running a fleet of twenty have the same problem in different sizes. Find where you fit.
Coaching & tuition centres
Morning and evening pickup corridors — Allen-style centres, FIITJEE branches, or your local coaching van.
Colleges & hostels
Recurring hostel routes, digital attendance, live tracking for parents who live far away.
Private van contractors
One car, one route, 15–20 students? You are exactly who we built the operator app for.
Multi-school fleet operators
Run vans for several schools from one institute console — drivers, payouts, and trip history included.
Pricing
Straightforward pricing, free to start.
Parents are always free. Van operators get 6 months free, then ₹299/month. Schools get a custom quote based on fleet size.
Parents
Completely free for parents.
You will never be asked to pay for this — SchoolBuswala is free for every parent whose child's van operator is already on the platform.
- ✓Live GPS map (Firebase real-time)
- ✓Pickup & drop push + WhatsApp
- ✓Active ride sticky bar
- ✓Verified operators only
- ✓Multiple children, one account
- ✓30-day trip history & invoices
Van Operators
₹299/month after that
Free for your first 6 months — no credit card, no commitment. Set the seat capacity per route to match your actual van, with no artificial cap on students.
- ✓Verified driver & vehicle profile
- ✓Unlimited routes — your van capacity
- ✓Live GPS parents can see
- ✓Digital enrollments & attendance
- ✓Pickup/drop with parent notify
- ✓Monthly billing & payout view
- ✓₹299/mo after your free 6 months
Schools & Fleets
Based on fleet size
For schools, coaching institutes, and companies needing a full fleet management solution. White-label available.
- ✓Institutions & fleet dashboard
- ✓Driver & vehicle verification
- ✓Routes, enrollments, trip history
- ✓Student roster & billing ledger
- ✓Driver payouts & compliance audit
- ✓Coaching, school & college fleets
- ✓Priority onboarding support
No credit card required for your free 6 months. Cancel anytime.
School bus tracking questions
Clear answers before the first ride.
How does SchoolBuswala track a school bus or van?
The driver starts the scheduled trip in the SchoolBuswala app. Parents on that route can then follow the vehicle's live GPS position on a map until the ride ends.
Can I track a private school van, not only a school-owned bus?
Yes. SchoolBuswala is built for independent school van operators as well as school fleets. The operator must complete verification and add the route before parents can find and follow it.
Will I know when my child is picked up and dropped off?
Yes. Each pickup and drop is timestamped, and parents receive an alert when the driver marks the child as boarded or dropped off.
Is the school bus tracking app free for parents?
Yes. The SchoolBuswala parent app is free. It is available for iPhone and Android.
Maharashtra changed the school bus rules in July 2026. What do they require?
The Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Regulations for School Buses) (First Amendment) Rules, 2026, gazetted on 16 July 2026, give existing vehicles three months to comply, and non-compliance risks permit suspension. Among eleven obligations on permitted school buses and vans, three are software: a mobile application that lets parents track the vehicle live, digital attendance records of students, and a system that notifies parents about student travel. SchoolBuswala already provides all three. The rest — the VLTD with panic button, CCTV with 30-day retention, seat belts, fire detection, the lady attendant, police verification and medical fitness — remain the operator's responsibility, and we do not claim to cover them.
Do I have to buy a GPS device from you?
No. We do not sell hardware. Your bus is already legally required to carry an AIS-140 VLTD for its permit, so keep it — that is your RTO compliance and we sit on top of it. We work with any GPS brand: either the device is pointed at our endpoint, or we read positions from your existing vendor's API. If you are fitting a new van and want help, we can introduce a local fitment partner, but the hardware relationship stays yours.
Can a school see the private vans it does not own?
Yes, and this is free. A verified school gets read-only visibility of every route carrying at least one of its students — including open-market vans the school neither owns nor contracts. Live location during the run, driver and vehicle details, and completed trip history, with headcounts and student data scoped to that school only. It is read-only by design: you can observe a van you do not own, you cannot edit it.
Where is SchoolBuswala available?
SchoolBuswala is built for school vans anywhere in India. Families are already using it in Nashik, Mumbai, Pune, and Chennai. A verified driver or school in another city can start a route the same way — contact us from the homepage if you want help onboarding.
The driver sent me a WhatsApp invite. What do I do?
Install SchoolBuswala and sign in with the same mobile number. Open the app — Invite waiting is on Home. Tapping it is a request, not a guaranteed seat, until the owner confirms.
Get started
Built for every Indian school run. Start in your city.
Parents, drivers, and schools can use SchoolBuswala anywhere a verified van is on a route. Families are already riding in Nashik, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai — that is where we began, not a wall.
Want it at your school or on your vans? Tell us the city. We'll help a local driver or the school get set up. No promise of tomorrow — a real onboarding.