First Student Enhances First View, the Leading Parent Tracking App That Connects Yellow Bus and Alternative Transportation into One Experience

New enhancements give families one place to track yellow bus and First Alt trips, with greater visibility, convenience, and confidence for the new school year.

CINCINNATI, Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- First Student, North America's largest student transportation services provider, today announced new enhancements to First View®, the leading parent transportation app that brings together traditional yellow bus and First Alt® alternative transportation into one connected experience. Whether a student rides a yellow bus, an alternative vehicle, or both, First View gives parents one place to stay informed with real-time visibility, communication, and support throughout every journey.

With more than 1.1 million downloads and 300,000 active users as of June 30, First View continues to help families stay informed and confident about their student's transportation. New enhancements for the 2026–2027 school year expand the app's capabilities while making it even easier for families to manage transportation across multiple students, multiple vehicles, and multiple service types – all within a single experience.

"Every great school year begins with a safe ride, and families deserve confidence in that journey," said John Kenning, President and CEO of First Student. "Our mission is to provide the safest, most reliable, and most efficient ride to school so students arrive ready to learn and achieve their full potential. First View brings that mission to life by giving families greater visibility and confidence in their child's journey, whether they travel by yellow bus, alternative transportation or both. It's another way we're living our values of Caring for Our Students and Setting the Highest Standards while creating a safer, more connected transportation experience for every student and family we serve."

New Features and Enhancements for the 2026–2027 School Year

• Track multiple students in one app, regardless of the type of vehicle they ride to school
• Expanded language support, now available in 15 languages including English, Spanish, Canadian French, Arabic, Chinese, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Somali, Portuguese, Swahili, Haitian Creole, Nepali, Amharic, Russian, and Pashto
• Push and in-app notifications when the vehicle arrives for pick-up and drop-off, both at the stop and at school
• Trip change notifications, including driver, vehicle, and schedule updates, as well as when a student boards or exits the vehicle
• Service alerts from districts/divisions and locations, including weather changes, delays, and road closures
• Expanded multilingual customer support, including a First Alt call center that is 50% bilingual, outbound Spanish-language parent outreach, and a dedicated Spanish-language inbound support line for families

Unlike most transportation apps that support only one type of service, First View's parent app allows families to manage transportation for every student in one place. Parents can track yellow bus routes, alternative transportation, and even charter transportation for summer programs through a single app, creating one seamless transportation experience regardless of how their children travel to and from school. This unified approach is especially valuable for families with multiple children or students whose mode of transportation changes throughout the school year.

"Providing families with accurate and timely transportation information is important to us," said Lisa Riveros, Director of Transportation for Wichita Public Schools. "I really like how First View gives parents real-time visibility into their student's transportation so they can stay informed, know what to expect, and have confidence that their child is getting to and from school safely."

Families can also share feedback after every trip through First Student's Feedback Portal, helping the company continuously improve the transportation experience.

For families who use First Alt, First Student's alternative transportation service, First View provides additional capabilities designed specifically for individualized transportation. Parents can view and cancel same-day rides, manage trips scheduled up to 14 days in advance, access driver and vehicle information, and receive notifications when their student boards or exits the vehicle. The app helps ensure a better experience for families whose students have disabilities.

"The expansion of First View to 15 languages is a tremendous benefit for our families," said Victoria Storti, Transportation Specialist for Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. "Every parent deserves access to timely transportation information in a language they understand. By offering more language options, First View is helping us create a more inclusive experience, improve communication with families and ensure more parents can stay connected to their student's daily transportation."

The enhancements are being introduced as part of First Student's broader back-to-school readiness efforts, helping families start the school year with greater confidence while reinforcing the company's commitment to delivering one connected transportation experience across every student, every vehicle, and every journey. First Student's continued investment in technology and innovation was recently recognized with a 2026 CIO 100 Award, honoring organizations that use technology in innovative ways to deliver business value.

First View is available to download in the App Store or Google Play.

About First Student
First Student, the leading student transportation provider in North America, safely transports millions of students across the U.S. and Canada each day. With a fleet of more than 48,000 vehicles and a workforce of highly trained drivers, the company partners with school districts, divisions, and boards to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient transportation solutions that families can depend on. Recognized as a CIO 100 Award winner and named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2026 list, First Student provides a range of transportation services, including special-needs transportation, routing and fleet management, vehicle electrification, maintenance services, and charter transportation. Through its proprietary HALO™ technology platform, First Student is helping shape the future of student transportation by integrating safety, operations, maintenance, workforce management, and customer communications into one intelligent transportation ecosystem that enhances safety, improves operational performance, and creates a more connected transportation experience for students and families. Learn more at https://firststudentinc.com

About First Alt
First Alt®, the alternative transportation service from First Student, facilitates safe, reliable, and customized transportation for students with specialized needs. Backed by First Student's quality training, technology, and safety standards, the First Alt service ensures that every student, regardless of ability, housing, or placement, receives equitable, high-quality transportation to and from school. Learn more at: https://firstalt.com

Contact 
Brenna Rudisill
[email protected] 

SOURCE First Student, Inc.