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As told to KX News / By Amber French / Mar. 26, 2026 

District Overview
District name: Bismarck Public Schools (BPS)
Location: Bismarck, North Dakota (state capital, second largest city, located along Missouri River)
Transportation Model: In district fleet plus contracted services (Harlow’s)

Key Challenge: Severe driver shortage, complex bell schedules, and parent communication gaps

The Headline Problem: A System Stretched to the Breaking Point

Like districts nationwide, Bismarck Public Schools (ND) faced an escalating school bus driver shortage entering the 2025 school year. To keep students moving safely and on time, BPS made a bold operational shift—launching a two-tiered bus system with staggered bell schedules.

The change allowed a single driver to transport elementary and secondary students at different times, maximizing limited staffing resources. But while the strategy solved one problem, it introduced another:

• More complex routes
• Tighter timing windows
• Higher parent anxiety
• Increased calls to the transportation office

Parents needed timely, accurate information. Transportation leaders needed visibility and reliability. And drivers needed support navigating more complicated routes.

That combination pushed BPS to rethink how transportation technology could close the communication gap.

The Solution: Transfinder Technology + Stopfinder = Real-Time Confidence

To support the new transportation model, Bismarck Public Schools deployed Transfinder’s solutions, including:

• Wayfinder tablets on buses for turn-by-turn navigation
• Stopfinder, Transfinder’s secure parent engagement app, delivering real-time bus location updates, notifications, and geofencing alerts

Each BPS bus was outfitted with a tablet connected directly to Stopfinder, ensuring accurate, live data flowed seamlessly from the road to families’ phones.

Parents gained:

• Visibility into exact bus locations
• Alerts when buses entered a customized geofence
• Real-time notifications for delays or route changes

Transportation staff gained:

• Fewer inbound calls
• Greater operational awareness
• Improved trust with families during a high-change environment

What Happened Next: From Frustration to Functionality

During the first year of deployment, BPS saw immediate benefits—but also learned valuable lessons.

Because some contracted Harlow’s buses were running older onboard technology, Stopfinder performance wasn’t fully consistent across all routes. Rather than accept that limitation, BPS moved quickly to fix it.

A Reliability Upgrade for 2026

For the upcoming school year, Harlow’s buses will also run Wayfinder, bringing the entire fleet—district and contractor—onto the same Transfinder platform.

That means:

• One system
• One data stream
• One parent experience
• Flawless reliability

Quotes from Jason Schafer, Bismarck’s transportation supervisor:

“Next year, Harlow’s buses will have something very similar to what we have on our BPS buses.”

“Instead of a third party communicating with the app, they will have the Wayfinder app right on here… so the reliability on the Harlow’s general education side should really be flawless.”

“We have had no issues at all at our BPS buses this year.”

Parent Engagement: The Adoption Opportunity

At the time of the interview, approximately 30% of BPS families had already activated Stopfinder—a strong foundation, given the scale of change occurring simultaneously.

Schafer notes the biggest obstacle wasn’t the technology itself—but common app-use behavior.

“I think one of the biggest problems we see is that the app isn’t working,” Schafer said. “When you first sign into an app… it asks if you want push notifications. If you say no, then you don’t get the notification that the bus might be late or that it’s arriving inside your geofence.”

For 2026, BPS plans to pair its technology investment with stronger parent education, ensuring families fully leverage Stopfinder’s real-time alerts and safety features.

The Outcome: Clarity, Confidence, and Control

With Transfinder’s Stopfinder in place, Bismarck Public Schools transformed a transportation challenge into a communication success:

• Maintained service amid a driver shortage
• Supported a complex two-tier routing model
• Gave parents transparency and peace of mind
• Reduced operational strain on transportation staff
• Standardized fleet technology for long-term reliability

Why This Matters

Bismarck’s story mirrors what districts across the country are facing right now—staff shortages, evolving schedules, and rising expectations from families.

Their experience proves that technology isn’t just about routing buses—it’s about building trust, especially when change is unavoidable.

Final Takeaways

Bismarck Public Schools didn’t just adjust routes. They delivered clarity where there was confusion—and confidence where there was concern.

That’s the power of Transfinder’s One Partner, One Solution approach and its suite of solutions that work seamlessly together: Routefinder PLUS, Stopfinder and Wayfinder.

Click here to watch the "Bismarck Schools updates system for seamless bus tracking" story. 

To learn more about Transfinder, email solutions@transfinder.com, visit http://www.transfinder.com/solutions or call 800-373-3609.