Fairfax County’s public school system is rolling out card readers that students will tap as they board and exit their school buses beginning this fall. The new system will look familiar to regular bus riders, but students will be using new ID cards instead of fare cards, and each tap will help the district track students on their way to and from school. Fairfax schools will distribute the ID cards beginning in the 2026-27 school year as part of a system-wide transportation modernization effort.
In addition to card readers, the buses are being equipped with mobile tablets with turn-by-turn route maps for drivers. Information about each student will also pop up on the screen as they board, and will let drivers know whether the student is on the right bus. The taps will also let the school system’s Office of Transportation know which students are on each bus, which it said will improve the safety and efficiency of one of the largest public school bus operations in the country.
schools are renovated once every 4 decades. Could a sales tax hike change that? Top security job eliminated at Montgomery County Public Schools in budget cuts DC schools chancellor leaving for CEO job at instructional nonprofit The school system specified, however, the new system will not track students’ location, just the location of the school bus students have tapped onto.
The student ID cards will be color-coded by school. The back of each card will include a QR code for more information and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which FCPS said is required by Virginia law. Later in the fall, the school district said it will launch a new app for families, with real-time updates on their school bus location and when their child boards and exits the bus.
The student ID cards are central to the new bus navigation system, but if a student forgets or loses a card, bus drivers can use the tablets to manually check students in and out. Students who do not typically ride the bus will still receive an ID card. The cards will eventually be used for other services, such as school meals and field trips, the school system said.
Families with questions can contact the Fairfax County Public Schools Office of Transportation.
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