As the coordinator for Safe Routes to School programs, Greater Mercer TMA works with schools and towns on a variety of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs. Our latest effort, an updated and easy to use Walking School Bus app! The NJ Walking School Bus app allows parents to easily create and plan walks to and from school. Parents in New Jersey can search for existing walking groups by school name, city, and group name, or create walking groups and invite neighbors to join. Parents can select a parent leader to walk with students to and from school. The parent leader will be in charge of starting and ending the walk and alert parents when students have arrived safely at school. Parents, who are not leading the walk, can track the walk progress on the app map. The app also calculates the miles walked and reduction in CO2 emissions for the group.
The app can also be used creatively by parents or teachers with children learning virtually– for encouraging walking/physical activity, estimating and measuring actual distance walked and seeing the positive environmental impact of walking instead of driving.
The new Walking School Bus App version is available in the Google Play and the App Store
The app is free and can be used throughout New Jersey. Schools, parents, Transportation Management Associations, and other organizations interested in using the app, can contact our SRTS Coordinator for more information and shared resources.