FREQUENTLY ASKED
Answers for
transportation directors.
The questions we hear on every introductory call, answered upfront. For anything not covered here, email moe@kidaboard.com.
Getting started
How long does a district take to go live?
Most districts are live within two weeks: one week for roster import and admin setup, one week for driver tablet provisioning and parent onboarding. Smaller pilots can go live in under a week.
Do students need to install an app?
No. Students never touch a phone. They wear a passive NFC wristband or carry a school-issued ID - that's it. No accounts, no passwords, no notifications to students.
What hardware do drivers need?
Any Android tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab A-class works well). We can supply tablets with data plans at cost + 20%, or you can use your existing fleet. iPhones also work if your drivers carry them.
Do you integrate with our SIS (PowerSchool, Infinite Campus, Clever)?
CSV import is in place today, and we can pull directly from PowerSchool and Clever through established partnerships. Infinite Campus integration is on our roadmap for Q3.
Data & privacy
Are you FERPA and COPPA compliant?
Yes - and designed that way from day one, not retrofit. Full details on our Compliance brief, and a formal Data Processing Addendum is available at moe@kidaboard.com.
Where does our data live?
In Google Cloud regions within the continental United States by default. We can lock to a specific state or FedRAMP-Moderate boundary on request.
How long do you keep event data?
Boarding and exit events are retained for the academic year plus 90 days, then automatically deleted. Rosters are deleted immediately on removal from your enrollment system.
Do you sell or share data?
Never. We don't sell personal information. We don't train models on student data. We don't share with advertisers. The service exists only to operate Kidaboard for your district.
Technology
What happens when a bus is in a dead zone with no signal?
Drivers keep scanning - events are queued locally on the device and sync the moment signal returns. No data is lost and no workflow breaks. Parents see the updates a few minutes late; everything else is unaffected.
How accurate is the bus location?
Location is captured using the driver device's GPS, typically accurate to within 3–10 meters. Updates are written every 10 seconds while the route is active.
Can a parent see another family's child?
No. Access is enforced at the database layer, not just in the app. A guardian account can only read records for students explicitly linked to them. Cross-family access is architecturally impossible.
What if a child forgets their wristband?
The driver can check them in manually by name from the roster. The event is recorded the same way, just without the NFC tap.
Pricing & contracts
How much does it cost?
Pricing is tailored per district based on fleet size, student count, and hardware needs. Contact us for a quote and pilot terms.
Is there a minimum contract length?
No. Pilots are one year; production contracts are typically multi-year for the rate lock, but annual is also available.
What if we decide to leave?
You own your data. We'll export it in standard formats on request, and we delete our copies within 30 days of contract end.
Are hardware costs included?
Software is flat-rate per student. Tablets and cellular data are a separate line item if we provide them. NFC wristband pricing is discussed during pilot setup.