BusPlan vs RouteBot

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.

RouteBot is a transportation management platform for school routes, employee shuttles, and on-demand passenger transfers, available on Android, iOS, and the web. Its optimizer distributes 1,000+ passengers across a fleet, balances vehicle loads, and calculates routes in under 10 seconds. Dispatchers can see active vehicles on a fleet map, while parents and employees can track vehicles in the mobile app. The app offers role-specific tools such as driver navigation, passenger lists, live tracking, and push notifications. Fleet records cover owned and rented vehicles, drivers, maintenance, accidents, fuel payments, and third-party contractors. Passengers can check in with QR codes, and administrators can be alerted when an expected passenger has not boarded. RouteBot can import existing Excel files; the maker says setup can be ready by the next morning or within 24 hours. A working sample dashboard opens without signup or a credit card, and the private sandbox can be kept as a free account. Pricing depends on fleet size and operating model, and is shown inside the platform under Settings, then Subscription.