Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday Hours

 
 

 
 
Our office will close on Friday, December 21, 2012 at 4:30 pm and will reopen on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 8:00 am.
 
During this closure if you have an emergency with your BUSTOPS program and need assistance, please e-mail your request to maryb@bustops.com.
 
The Management and Staff of MicroAnalytics wish  you and your families
A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
 
 
 


Monday, November 12, 2012

Thanksgiving Closure

In observance of Thanksgiving, our office will be closed on Thursday, November 22nd and Friday, November 23rd.

We will reopen on Monday, November 26th at 8:00 am.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Forward Thinking

So, here we are, 55 days until Christmas and coming up to about half way through the school year.

It's time to start seriously thinking about, and coming up with a game plan, if your School District is looking at making significant route changes for the 2013-2014 school year.  These may involve:

  • creating more efficient routes
  • moving from single tier to double tier routing or vice versa
  • opening a school(s)
  • closing a school(s)
  • investigating different bell times
  • or just cutting a bus as you have a driver retiring
Investigating how these changes may affect your routes can be done in Bustops, but it does take some time.  Plus, you will need to discuss the options with your Superintendent, then the Board and finally, relay the information to parents.

We are here to help you with getting the information you need using Bustops.  Call and talk to one of our Support Staff to discuss your changes and how to proceed.

Have a great day!

Monday, October 1, 2012

October 8th, Office Closed

In Observance of Columbus Day, our office will be closed on Monday, October 8th.

The office will re-open at 8:30 am on Tuesday, October 9th.

We wish you all a nice long weekend.

Friday, August 24, 2012

It's almost time

I know some of you returned to school this week, some will next week and the rest will return on September 4th.

I wish you all a smooth startup to the 2012-13 school year.

We are here to answer any last minute questions you may have about BUSTOPS, however, we anticipate that you have your reports printed and ready to go by now. 

Please remember, our offices are closed on Monday, September 3rd in observance of Labor Day.

Have a great day!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Time is Flying

Wow, it's already July 16th.  That means that, at most, you have 7 more weeks until school starts.  And, less than that to get information to your parents, drivers and schools.

I hope most of you are ready to start checking your data in the next week or so.  This is important so that you are confident the correct information is being sent to parents - either via postcards, letters, in newspapers or on your school district website.

If you'd like to discuss with us how to check your data, please call.  Also, you should always preview and scan through some of the reports you will print to make sure the information is up to date.  There might be update commands that need to be run in Bustops before your print.

I trust you are all enjoying your summer.  Take care!

Monday, June 25, 2012

July 4th Office Closing

In observance of the July 4th Holiday, our offices will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012.

The office will reopen on Thursday, July 5th, 2012 at 8:00 am.

Have a great holiday!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Local Broker

I've been thinking about how helpful Local Broker is for transportation staff.  Local Broker is a program that will automatically import a student file that has been downloaded from the School Districts' student administration program into the BUSTOPS program.

This can save time as Transportation Staff do not have to type in new students, or address changes.  Local Broker imports the new file, and flags students who are new or who have changes that can affect their transportation such as a changed address, school or grade.

If you are interested in more information about the Local Broker program, give the office a call.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

End of the School Year

I know everyone is getting very close to being finished school for the year, or has already finished.

I also know many of you have had your students rolled over in Bustops and are well on your way to having your routes planned for 2012-2013.

If you have not yet booked your appointment for your roll over, give the office a call and arrange your time.

And, don't hesitate to call with any questions or issues that arise during your planning process and we'll get them answered.

Have a safe, fun summer!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Memorial Day

The MicroAnalytics' office will be closed on Monday, May 28th, in observance of Memorial Day.

The office will reopen at 8:00 am on Tuesday, May 29th.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Wishful Thinking

With the current school year winding down, I have been musing my daughters progress through the year.  One is finishing their Senior Kindergarten year and the other, her Junior Kindergarten year.

During the 2010-2011 school year my eldest daughter rode a bus to school and evidently enjoyed it very much.  This year, as we have moved to a different town, both girls now walk to school.

Over the past year, when my older daughter has had a tiring day and we are walking home from school, she will ask why she can't take the bus to her new school.  I  always try to explain the logistics of our living in town and therefore are in the walk area for the school, while almost all of her friends live outside the town and get to ride the school bus.

Her only comfort right now, is that when she goes to High School, she will get to ride the bus to school.  Meanwhile ... I'm secretly wondering when she'll start asking for a car once she enters High School.

The joys of parenting!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Get your appointment booked!

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

It's hard to believe that for most of you, school will be finished for the year in just over a month.  I'm sure you're all busy with the end of year trips and other activities.

If you haven't yet booked your GoToMeeting appointment to upgrade your students and begin your route planning for the 2012-2013 school year, it's time to do so.  I encourage you, whether you want to wait until school is over or want your appointment in May, to reserve your time as we are booking up quickly right now.

As always, we are here to help you with any questions you have about using Bustops for your route planning.

Take care!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Office Closed for Good Friday

In observance of Good Friday our office will be closed on Friday, April 6th.

We will reopen at 8:00 am on Monday, April 9, 2012.

Happy Easter!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Planning 2012-2013 Routes

Here are some of the steps that may need to be done to your Bustops data once a roll over has been done in Bustops or an import of students with their next years grades from your student administration system is completed:
  • reassign students who will move to a new building to stops for that school
  • import or enter new kindergarteners
  • adjust routes for new students and remove stops without students
  • notify parents - through newspaper postings, letters or post cards
  • print new route packages for drivers - routes with riders, driving directions, route maps
You may want to consider the timing of doing your upgrade.  If your kindergarten registration is in April you may want to wait to begin until after the new students are entered and the students grade rolled over in your student admin system, them import the info into BUSTOPS. 

Call for help with any of the steps as you need it or to discuss importing student data. Also, BUSTOPS can be used to create and customize all of the reports/posting information noted above.

Check to make sure Eligibility Coding/Placement Lines are setup for your SD if you have a lot of students who switch schools each year -- this can cut down on the work needing to be done each spring.

Time is quickly flying by - don't wait until the last minute to start planning.


Monday, February 13, 2012

Support Notice

Just to let everyone know, our office will be closed on Monday, February 20th, 2012 for President's Day.

If you have an urgent BUSTOPS support issue, please e-mail ystrange@bustops.com and someone will return your call.

Have a great long weekend!

Monday, January 16, 2012

Happy New Year!

Well, Happy New Year everyone!  I hope that 2012 will be a good year for everyone.

I wanted to remind everyone, if you are planning on doing any major changes to your routing for the 2012-2013 school year - closing buildings, opening buildings, moving to grade centers, moving from double to single routes or vice-versa, or just want to see if your routes are as efficient as they could be - now is the time to start doing scenarios... if you haven't already started in the fall.

Even if you aren't making major changes, if you want to get a jump start on getting your information updated for the upcoming school year, call the office and book a GoToMeeting appointment for the support staff to make a copy of your data and upgrade it.

If you're unsure if you should start planning now or wait for a bit, call us and we'll discuss your situation and help you decide how to proceed.

Enjoy the last half of January!