School bus tracking and child safety in Zambia
Route43: every child boarded by QR tag or face, a run that cannot close while a child is still on the bus, and parents following on WhatsApp — no app, no login.
Proof at every stop
Each child is boarded by scanning a printed QR tag or by face, and the record stores how the child was boarded. Guardians receive the pickup and drop-off with time and place.
The sweep lock
A bus run cannot be marked complete while any child is still recorded on the bus. That single rule is the core of the safety promise: no child left on a bus because a driver forgot.
Parents never log in
Parents follow the bus through a tokenised WhatsApp link. Nothing to install, no password, no account for the school to administer.
Hardware on the way
Abby, a child-safety wearable built by Travis Labs — tap to board, an SOS button, a beacon the bus never loses — is in prototyping as the hardware layer of Route43.
Questions we are asked
Do parents need to install an app?
No. They follow the bus through a WhatsApp link.
How does the school know a child actually boarded?
By QR tag scan or face match at boarding, recorded against the run.
Can a run be closed with a child still on board?
No. The system blocks completion until every child is accounted for.
Is it only for schools?
Route43 is built for school transport; the same platform carries fleet and field-work apps for other businesses.
Related
Tell us what failed.
A photo of the unit and its nameplate on WhatsApp is enough to start.