The Poughkeepsie City School District is launching an exciting new element to bus service called Safety Pass, designed to improve the safety of students and communication between the buses, parents and schools.
Under the Safety Pass program, an expansion of the district’s partnership with transportation company Bus Right, students will receive an ID card for more directly tracking when they get on and off their bus.
The program is launching Monday, May 4 for students in pre-K and kindergarten. Students will be issued their card this week, along with lanyards to affix them to backpacks.
Safety Pass will be rolled out to first-grade students later this month and second-grade students in June. We expect to extend the service to older students next school year.
Here’s how it works:

Students will tap their card when boarding and exiting, helping ensure accurate ridership records and adding an extra layer of safety. This information is then included in the BusRight Parent app, which allows students’ families to:

• View their child’s bus route.
• See real-time bus locations.
• Receive notifications of when the bus is approaching or has arrived.

All district families should have received a personalized email inviting them to download the app at the email address you have on file. Any families that have not downloaded the app will receive reminder emails. If you have not received that message, check to make sure the email address you have on file with the district is accurate by visiting the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.
If a child loses their card, please notify the Transportation Department office at 845-451-4990, so a replacement can be arranged. More details on the rollout of the program will be shared in the coming days. You can also learn more about district bus service at the district’s Transportation Department webpage.