- Students in our neighborhoods are heading back to school this week and back on school buses
- QR codes on the sides of school buses indicate that they've been inspected and ready for use
- Video shows Williamston Schools facility director giving the number of buses inspected while parents react to the technology to keep track of their kids
Back to school means back to the buses for students in our neighborhoods and school buses are now equipped with QR codes for parents to check the vehicle's safety records.
Those QR codes, found on the sides of the school bus door, are portals to the safety record of your child's school bus.
"I might try [to scan it] now," said Williamston resident Brad Simmons, a father of two kids who take the bus to school.
The codes are one way that the Michigan Bus Inspection Program helps keep parents informed about the buses their kids ride.
PHOTO: QR CODE ON THE SIDE OF A SCHOOL BUS THAT PARENTS CAN SCAN TO FIND THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY RECORD
MBIP also inspects school buses that are red-tagged, meaning the bus had safety concerns that require the vehicle to be taken off the road. Yellow tags mean the bus had minor safety concerns.
Williamston Community Schools had nine of their 17 buses red-tagged according to the MBIP report for 2022-2023.
PHOTO: SENIOR REPORTER DANNY VALLE SPEAKS WITH BRANDON WEINGARTZ, DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS AT WILLIAMSTON COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
The district's director of facilities and operations Brandon Weingartz says all of the school's buses are green-tagged and ready to ride. The district serves 1,900 students, with around 800 using school buses.
PHOTO: MICHIGAN STATE POLICE GREEN TAG SIGNIFIES THAT THE BUS HAS BEEN INSPECTED AND SAFE FOR STUDENTS TO RIDE
"We have 18 buses and 14 routes," Weingartz said. "Our number one goal is to deliver students safely to school and home every day."
Simmons says the QR codes are convenient for parents who want to stay aware of their child's safety. Simmons says safety is paramount for parents who want some form of control over their kid's well-being.
"They still know what's going on at that time when you're letting your kid go with someone else that you might not know very well like your bus driver," Simmons said.
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