Getting Started with BusMate
What is BusMate?
BusMate is an iOS attendance tracking app built specifically for school bus drivers. It replaces paper-based rolls with a fast, structured digital process â letting you mark students present or absent, log journey and check times, manage passenger notes, and export professional weekly reports, all without an internet connection.
Requirements
- iPhone or iPad running iOS 16.0 or later
- No internet connection required â BusMate works entirely offline
- No account or login â your data stays on your device
First-Time Setup
When you open BusMate for the first time, you'll complete a one-time driver setup. This only takes a minute:
- Download BusMate from the App Store on your iPhone or iPad.
- Open BusMate. The setup screen appears automatically on first launch.
- Enter your driver details: first and last name, phone number (9 digits, Australian format), email address, and bus registration number (6 alphanumeric characters).
- Tap Save. Your details are securely stored on your device using iOS Keychain. You won't need to enter them again.
- Create your first attendance list. Give it a name (e.g., your route name) and start adding students.
- You're ready. Begin tracking attendance for your daily pick-up and drop-off runs.
đĄ Tip: Driver setup is one-time only. After saving, you go straight to your lists every time you open the app.
Key Features
đą One-Time Driver Setup
Enter your details once. No repeated logins, no cloud accounts, no passwords to remember.
đ Multiple Attendance Lists
Create separate lists for different routes or runs. Each list has its own students and session history.
â
Pick-Up & Drop-Off Sessions
Run dedicated Pick-Up or Drop-Off sessions. Mark each student Present or Absent with large, accessible buttons.
đĄī¸ Final Safety Check
Complete a timestamped "no child left on bus" confirmation at the end of each journey for compliance and peace of mind.
đ Passenger Notes
Add time-bounded notes to individual students (e.g., "leave at front gate this week"). Notes surface automatically during sessions when active.
đ Weekly Excel Reports
Generate professional XLSX reports covering AM/PM attendance, journey times, final check timestamps, and contact details. Share instantly via iOS Share Sheet.
đ
Session History
Browse all past sessions per list, filter by session type or date, and drill into individual session records.
đ Offline & Secure
All data is stored locally on your device using iOS Keychain and Core Data encryption. No internet required. No data leaves your device.
How-To Guides
How to Add Students to a List
- Open the attendance list you want to add students to.
- Tap the Add Student button (+ icon).
- Enter the student's name, year/grade, and home address.
- Add primary and secondary emergency contacts â name, relationship (Mother / Father / Other), and phone number.
- Tap Save. The student appears in your list.
- Drag and drop students to reorder them if needed.
How to Run an Attendance Session
- Open the relevant attendance list.
- Tap Start Session and choose Pick-Up or Drop-Off.
- BusMate records the journey start time automatically.
- For each student: tap Present (green) or Absent (orange). The app advances automatically with haptic feedback.
- Swipe right at any point to go back to a previous student and correct a record.
- After the last student, review the session summary screen.
- Tap Complete & Final Check to confirm no child is left on the bus. This records a timestamped confirmation.
âšī¸ Note: The Final Check step is important for compliance. Always complete it before leaving the vehicle. The timestamp is included in your weekly reports.
How to Add a Passenger Note
- Open the student's profile from the list.
- Tap Add Note.
- Enter the note text and set a From and To date range.
- Save the note. It will appear automatically during attendance sessions while active.
- Notes can be edited or deleted at any time from the student's profile.
How to Export a Weekly Report
- Open the attendance list you want to report on.
- Tap the Export Report button.
- Select the week you want to cover.
- BusMate generates an XLSX file on your device â no internet needed.
- The iOS Share Sheet opens. Choose how to send it: email, AirDrop, Files, or any other app.
How to Reset or Delete Your Data
- Delete a single attendance record: Open the session in History, then swipe or tap to delete the record.
- Reset your driver profile: Go to Profile â Reset Driver Info. Confirm when prompted.
- Delete all data: Uninstall BusMate from your device. All app data is permanently removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an internet connection to use BusMate?
No. BusMate works completely offline. All data is stored on your device. You can run sessions, review history, and generate reports without any internet connection.
Where is my data stored?
All data is stored securely on your iOS device. Your driver credentials are stored in iOS Keychain (Apple's encrypted credential store). Student and session data are stored in Core Data with iOS device-level encryption. Nothing is transmitted to external servers or cloud services.
Can I use BusMate on multiple devices?
BusMate stores all data locally on one device and does not sync across multiple devices. Each device maintains its own independent data. Multi-device support is not currently available.
What happens if I lose my phone or get a new device?
Because BusMate is offline-first, data does not automatically transfer to a new device. To protect your data, ensure you have iCloud Backup or an encrypted local backup enabled in your iOS settings. We recommend exporting weekly reports regularly so you always have a copy of important records.
Can I run both a Pick-Up and Drop-Off session on the same day?
Yes. You can run multiple sessions per day on the same list â for example, a morning Pick-Up and an afternoon Drop-Off. Each session is recorded separately with its own timestamps. The history view groups sessions by date so you can easily review each day's records.
What does the Final Check do?
The Final Check is a timestamped safety confirmation at the end of each session. It records the time you confirmed that no child remains on the bus. This timestamp is included in your weekly XLSX reports and provides an audit trail for transport compliance purposes.
Can I go back and correct an attendance record during a session?
Yes. During a live session, swipe right to return to the previous student and change their record. You can also undo the most recent record using the undo function on the session screen.
Can I export attendance data as CSV?
BusMate generates weekly XLSX (Excel) reports that include full session data, timestamps, student contacts, and passenger notes. This format is directly usable by school administrators in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets.
How do Passenger Notes work?
Passenger Notes are time-bounded messages you can attach to individual students â for example, "pick up from side gate until Friday." When you run an attendance session, any active note for a student automatically displays on their record screen so you don't miss it. Notes can be created, edited, or deleted at any time from the student's profile.
How do I delete my data?
You have full control. You can delete individual records within the session history, reset your driver profile in Settings, or remove all data by uninstalling BusMate. See the How-To Guides section for step-by-step instructions.
Is BusMate free?
Yes. BusMate is free to download from the App Store. There are no subscription fees, in-app purchases, or hidden costs.
What iOS version does BusMate require?
BusMate requires iOS 16.0 or later on an iPhone or iPad. Make sure your device is updated before downloading.
How do I update BusMate?
Updates are delivered through the App Store. Enable automatic updates in your iOS Settings under App Store, or manually check for updates by searching for BusMate in the App Store and tapping Update if available. Your data is preserved across updates.
Troubleshooting
App Won't Open or Crashes on Launch
- Force-close BusMate: swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-press Home) and swipe BusMate away.
- Wait 10â15 seconds, then reopen the app.
- If it still won't open, restart your iPhone or iPad.
- Check that you're running iOS 16.0 or later: Settings â General â About.
- If the issue persists, delete and reinstall BusMate from the App Store. Note: reinstalling will remove all local data â export any reports you need first.
My Data Has Disappeared
- Check that you're using the correct device â BusMate data is stored per device and does not sync.
- Force-close and reopen the app.
- Restart your device.
- If you recently reinstalled BusMate, data from the previous installation may not be recoverable unless you have a device backup. Restore your device from an iCloud or local backup if needed.
Can't Export a Report
- Ensure you have at least one completed session with a Final Check for the selected week.
- Check that your device has sufficient free storage (Settings â General â iPhone Storage).
- Close other apps running in the background and try again.
- Restart your device and retry the export.
- If you're emailing the report, confirm your Mail app is configured with a valid email account.
Timestamps Are Missing in Reports
- Confirm you tapped Start Session at the beginning of the run â this captures the journey start time.
- Confirm you completed the Final Check at the end of the session â this records the final check timestamp.
- Only sessions where both steps were completed will show full timestamps in the report.
Passenger Notes Not Showing During a Session
- Open the student's profile and check the note's From/To date range.
- Confirm today's date falls within that range.
- If the date range has passed, edit or renew the note.
Driver Setup Appears Again After Already Completing It
- This can occur if the app was reinstalled or if Keychain data was cleared.
- Re-enter your driver details and tap Save. Your previous attendance lists stored in Core Data may still be intact.
- If lists are missing, they cannot be recovered without a device backup.
â ī¸ Data Protection Reminder: BusMate stores all data locally on your device. Enable iCloud Backup or create regular local backups via your Mac or PC to protect your data against device loss or failure. We also recommend exporting weekly reports regularly as an additional safeguard.