Real-time bus tracking available with SMART tags
Real-time bus tracking available with SMART tags
Northwest ISD families can track their students' buses easier than ever before with the new SMART tag system! Based on parent and guardian feedback, our district has transitioned from Zonar to SMART tag this school year.
The SMART (Secured Mobile Authorized Ridership Technology) tag system works by tracking a tablet on a bus with real-time updates. When a student boards a bus, they will scan their tag so the tablet assigns them to the bus for parents and guardians to track. This technology also ensures students board the appropriate bus, as the system will indicate if a student has boarded the wrong bus.
For the start of the school year, drivers will manually log students into the system. During the first two weeks of school, campuses will distribute SMART tags to students. Once obtained, students should keep the SMART tag with them, such as on a lanyard or strapped to their backpack, to scan when boarding a bus.
SMART Tag Information & F.A.Q.
Parent Portal
Though schools have not yet distributed SMART tags, families can already register for SMART tag alerts and receive updates the first day of school! Parents and legal guardians can register an account on the district’s SMART Tag Parent Portal to monitor whether their child is on the bus as well as the bus’s real-time location. Users of the Parent Portal can also set notifications to alert them via text message when the bus is nearing their child’s stop.
To register for the SMART Tag Parent Portal, families must have the following information ready:
- Their child’s student ID number
- Their child’s date of birth
- The school their child attends