BusPlan vs GoLoop

BusPlan is a free, open-source tool for school districts that generates optimized routes from existing student, stop, and school-location data. It seeks to minimize bus driving time and can impose a maximum student ride-time constraint. The workflow accepts CSV files for locations, students, candidate stops, stop eligibility, and garage bus limits. Preparation instructions create candidate stops within one mile of each student and calculate walking-distance eligibility. OpenStreetMap extracts are used to build OpenTripPlanner routing graphs, which supply route costs. OptaPlanner provides the constraint-solving engine. Results are CSV files listing ordered stops for each route and assigning students to route-and-stop combinations. A script calculates student ride times, and a Jupyter notebook supports route analysis. BusPlan is distributed as source code and setup instructions on GitHub under the Apache License, Version 2.0. The repository does not list a packaged desktop or mobile download or a support service.

GoLoop is an AI-powered transport platform for schools, parents, and drivers, combining parent and driver mobile apps with a school dashboard. Parents see bus locations updated every two seconds, predicted arrival times, and boarding, drop-off, and delay notifications. Driver tools include AI route optimization, QR-based boarding, a live student manifest, and fuel and vehicle telemetry. Schools can manage fleet maps, routes, students, drivers, vehicles, incidents, and reports from the dashboard. A one-tap SOS shares live location with the school, parents, and a 24/7 operations desk, with audio capture and incident replay. GoLoop says its Supabase-based realtime architecture delivers events to parent screens in under 400ms. Listed security and compliance include SOC 2 Type II, PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and GDPR / DPDP. Apps are free to download and free forever once a school is onboarded. Schools request a walkthrough and tailored rollout plan; pricing is on request.