Frequently Asked Questions
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mTransport is a school transportation management solution designed to enhance student safety by improving the quality, reliability, and simplicity of communication between all stakeholders in school transportation, while preventing boarding and drop-off errors.
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In the mTransport – Driver app, school vehicle drivers can view the list of stops and students on their route. When attendance monitoring is enabled (as defined by the school organization), students register when they board or leave the vehicle by presenting their transport access card to the reader, or the driver manually logs their presence.
Route information is sent to a secure server, which can transmit real-time notifications about school transportation to parents via the mTransport – Parent app. The level of detail in these notifications depends on the settings chosen by the school organization for each route.
For routes where boarding and disembarking notifications are sent to parents, the message specifies whether the information was entered manually by the driver.
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The mTransport app for parents aims to provide peace of mind to parents whose children use school transportation. Its main function is to send notifications related to school transportation. Other features include reporting a student’s absence from transportation, quick access to school contact information, and more.
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The Preferences section of the app allows you to select the notifications you want to receive:
Vehicle on its way: The vehicle has left the stop before yours.
Boarding and disembarking: At stops, whether your child boards (or is absent), leaves, or remains on board. This notification specifies when the information was entered manually by the driver (“indicated by the driver”) instead of being scanned from the student’s transport access card.
Announce an absence: When a child’s guardian (yourself or another authorized parent) reports an upcoming absence to the transport service.
Additionally, notifications are sent in the following cases: when mTransport is not used by the driver on a route, or if it stops being used during the route.
The school organization can also notify you via mTransport about vehicle delays and route cancellations. Some organizations use systems independent of mTransport for these communications.
Please note that it is essential to follow the official schedule provided by the school organization and not rely solely on notifications to ensure your child is at the stop on time.
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The number of notifications you receive depends on your notification preferences and the school organization’s settings for the route. Typically, three notifications are sent per trip, in the morning and afternoon:
The vehicle is approaching your stop (or a nearby stop).
The vehicle leaves your stop (with detailed boarding and disembarking information, if so configured by the school organization).
The vehicle arrives at or departs from the school (with detailed boarding and disembarking information, if so configured by the school organization).
Notifications may also be sent in exceptional cases (e.g., delays, cancellations, or when mTransport is not used or stops being used).
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mTransport does not function when the mTransport – Driver app is not used on a school vehicle. In such cases, a notification is sent to parents informing them that information will not be available during the trip.
Possible causes include a substitute driver unfamiliar with mTransport or the use of a replacement vehicle without the necessary equipment for mTransport.
This is an exceptional and temporary situation, but it may occasionally last a few days.
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Transportation managers may choose not to activate attendance monitoring for a route, either temporarily or permanently. Parent notifications remain available but will not include boarding, absence, or disembarking information.
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Please note that receiving notifications may be affected by factors beyond mTransport’s control, such as your device settings, internet availability, or notification relay services (e.g., Apple or Google). While mTransport strives to provide reliable service, these external factors may occasionally delay or prevent notifications from being delivered.
It is essential to follow the official schedule provided by the school organization and not rely solely on notifications to ensure your child is at the bus stop on time.
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Notifications are typically delivered within seconds, but delays may occur due to telecommunications or internet issues. The system triggers the “Vehicle on its way” notification as soon as the vehicle leaves the stop before yours. If the previous stop is very close to yours, you may not receive the notification in time. Additionally, if the vehicle or your phone experiences temporary internet connectivity issues, the notification may arrive after the vehicle has passed.
To address this, we’ve implemented a system that also notifies you when the bus is heading toward a nearby stop, provided the previous stop is within 10 minutes of yours.
It is essential to follow the official schedule provided by the school organization and not rely solely on notifications to ensure your child is at the stop on time.
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When a new driver starts operating a route, or when mTransport is used for the first time on a route, a familiarization period is provided for drivers and students.
During this period, school transportation managers may temporarily disable parent notifications. When this happens, parents can see in the mTransport – Parent app that notifications are disabled for that route.
Once the situation allows, managers may activate notifications. For new routes, this is also when managers invite parents to start using the mTransport – Parent app.
Notification suspension by transportation managers is a temporary measure, but it may last a few days.
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Yes. In the app, the Settings section allows you to disable all notifications or only those for specific types of information. Even if notifications are not enabled, you can still access recent events, history, and other features within the app.
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We prioritize the security of data entrusted to us and every aspect of its use and destruction.
A strict agreement exists with each transportation manager (school service center, school board, or transportation consortium) regarding sensitive transportation data. Only the information necessary to provide the mTransport service is shared with us. This data remains the property of the transportation manager at all times and is used exclusively for delivering mTransport services. Data transmission, storage, and processing are subject to encryption, security, access control, confidentiality, and localization requirements. Data is purged and destroyed at the end of its useful life for the transportation manager, typically every summer. No copies are retained.
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When you announce your child to be absent for a trip using the app’s calendar, all guardians are notified that an absence has been reported.
At the start of the trip, the driver will see a list of students marked absent. Upon reaching your child’s stop, the driver will again see that your child has been declared absent. This prevents unnecessary waiting or concern.
If you have notifications enabled, you will continue to receive them as usual for this trip.
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Yes, you can install mTransport on as many devices as you want and log in with your account. All devices will share the same notification preferences.
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Once the school organization updates your email address in your child’s school record, mTransport will automatically receive the updated information. You must log out of the mTransport – Parent app and log back in using the new email address.
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If one of your children is missing from the list, please check the following with the school:
Is your child registered on a route that uses mTransport? (Participating vehicles are equipped with a mobile device running the mTransport – Driver app.)
Is the email address listed in your child’s school record the same as the one you use to log in to mTransport?
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The transportation manager of your school organization or your child’s school remains your primary point of contact for any questions or comments regarding school transportation.
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Write to us to express your interest! You can also talk to your school, transportation provider, and other parents. Getting started is simple and easy.
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Of course! The mTransport team would be happy to help. You can contact us by phone or email:
Phone: 514-447-3772
Email: support@mtransport.ca