Bluebird Group

School Bus Tracker

Overview

Years: 2023

Platform: Mobile App

Status: Live

Tools: Figma

Our Product Team

Designer: Brama Damuharta

Manager: Oktavian Lintin

Researcher: Nizar Maulana & Ludy Imam

Background

Bluebird School Bus service, established in 1979, has been dedicated to facilitating safe student transportation from home to school and vice versa for several decades. Throughout this period, all aspects of the process, including student pick-up and drop-off, as well as fleet monitoring, have been managed through a singular system known as the School Bus System (SBS).

Arising from LO's concern

The School Bus System (SBS) is accessible only to Bluebird staff, particularly the Liaison Officers (LOs), due to the presence of confidential personal data. Parents seeking information about their child's whereabouts or requesting absence from school bus trips must contact the LO. This process has resulted in a significant number of inquiries, putting an additional burden on the LO.

To address these challenges, we need to implement a new feature that streamlines communication and data management. This will enhance efficiency, maintain data privacy, and reduce the workload on the LO, providing a more straightforward and effective system for parents and staff.

How do we make sure what we'll create meets expectations?

After receiving requests from the school and Bluebird's C-level executives to address the issues mentioned earlier, our first step was to validate the problems and collect relevant information. We conducted research at the British School Jakarta (BSJ), the largest user of Bluebird School Bus services.

To achieve this, we distributed questionnaires to over 300 respondents, specifically targeting parents of students, to understand their demographics and preferences. Additionally, we conducted in-depth interviews with 5 respondents to gain deeper insights.

Diamonds that we obtained from mining.

They just want to know how their child is doing during the journey, nothing more, nothing less.

Parents want to ensure their child's safety while traveling on the school bus. They may want to know if their child arrives at school or returns home safely and without any issues during the journey.

Some parents have multiple children using the school bus service.

Some parents have multiple children using the school bus service. This means they need to manage and coordinate the school bus arrangements for each child to ensure a safe and efficient journey to and from school.

They rarely skip the school bus on the D-day and usually plan it several days in advance if they intend to skip the school bus

When parents decide that their child will not take the school bus on a specific day, they inform the school or the relevant authorities without disclosing the specific reason behind their decision.

Skipping the school bus does not mean they won't attend school

It means the parents have arranged an alternative transportation method for their child, and the child will still attend school as usual.

To track their child's location, they use the school's website.

BSJ has a website where parents can check their child's status, but it only displays 'on the way. This lacks detailed information, leading most parents to directly contact the LOs (Liaison Officers) to find out their child's exact whereabouts.

(BONUS) Currently, 60% of parents at BSJ are not using the MyBB application

They don't have the MyBB app because they feel they don't need it, as their children primarily either use the school bus or their own private vehicles to get to school.

Digging wider for more diamonds.

During our research, I analyzed school bus services at various schools in different countries, including Malaysia, Japan, India, Netherlands, England, and Germany.

Throughout my exploration, I gathered valuable and intriguing insights, which include:

The process of picking up students from their homes and dropping them off at school is different.

Separate routes and schedules are often followed to ensure efficient transportation for students during these two different stages.

In the Netherlands, England, and Germany, school buses are equipped with Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems to allow parents to monitor their children's well-being during the bus journey

This additional safety measure allows parents to visually check on their child's comfort and safety during their school bus commute.

Start building the masterpiece

Through extensive explorations, we diligently gathered valuable insights to guide our development process.

Based on our research findings, we conducted brainstorming sessions to identify essential features for implementation. After collaborative discussions, we agreed on the chosen features. I then proceeded to design the feature concept, incorporating the agreed-upon solutions.

What solutions were finalized during our decision-making process?

Feature: School Bus Tracker

The name "School Bus Tracker" was chosen because it accurately represents the main function of the feature, which is to monitor school buses. Additionally, using "School Bus + Tracker" is already familiar to the public due to the term "tracker" commonly used in Google Maps.

Incorporating School Bus Tracker as a Feature within MyBB Application

In the research phase, we discovered that 60% of parents hadn't installed the MyBB app on their phones. Therefore, we decided to leverage this opportunity by integrating the School Bus Tracker feature into the MyBB app.

This initiative was also suggested to the higher-ups, as the increased MyBB user base could potentially lead to a rise in transactions within the app. The logic is simple: more active users equate to increased transactions.

Differentiation of Students Trip by Label Status

The School Bus Tracker will have labels named :

On Trip: For students with active trip
Completed: For students whose buses have arrived at school or home
No Trip: For students on holiday or without any trip

Enhanced Visibility and Transparency of School Bus Information and Journey

The feature aims to provide parents with a comprehensive view of school bus information, including details about the driver, bus, and most importantly, their child's trip. Parents can access real-time updates on the bus's location and their child's condition during the trip. This ensures parents are well-informed about their child's school bus experience, boosting their confidence and providing peace of mind.

Distinguishing Between Home-to-School Pickup and School-to-Home Drop-off Progress

The feature clearly distinguishes between picking up students from their homes to school and dropping them off from school to their homes. This separation enables parents to monitor each stage of the journey, improving coordination and understanding of their child's daily commute.

Security Assurance with Onboard CCTV in Each School Bus

To keep students safe during the bus journey, each school bus will have Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. This allows parents to see how their child is doing while on the bus and ensures their well-being.

Flexible Bus Skipping Request for Each Child

Parents can easily request customized changes for their child's bus trips. They can let the school know when their child won't be using the bus on certain days, giving them more flexibility in arranging transportation.

Parents can request a bus skip from the tracker page, where they simply need to press the skip bus button. They can then specify whether the skip is only for home to school, school to home, or both (for trips from home to school).

They can also request a bus skip for multiple required dates using the calendar feature.

The positive impact acquired by Bluebird

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Benefit 3

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