RollCall vs School Bus Manager
RollCall
rollcall.com.au
School Bus Manager
schoolbusmanager.comSide by side
| Figure | RollCall | School Bus Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $82.50/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 4 |
| Spec score · School Bus Routing Software | 8.4 (#5) | 8.7 (#2) |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists the company size as 11–50 employees. | LinkedIn lists company size as 11–50 employees. |
| Purpose | RollCall provides school bus management and duty-of-care tools for schools and bus operators. | School Bus Manager takes rider data from student information systems to create bus routes and trips with directions, stop times, and maps. |
| Route planning | Smart Route lets schools create verified stops and drag them into routes to plan bus networks. | The product can optimize or modify routes in seconds and includes turn-by-turn directions and stop times. |
| Support | RollCall provides a searchable help centre, support-ticket submission, email support and phone contact at 1300 821 116. | Sales and support are available Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm EST. |
| What it does | RollCall combines NFC student tap-on/tap-off records, GPS bus tracking, route planning, parent notifications and school administration for student transport. | School Bus Manager plans and optimizes school transportation routes, tracks vehicles and riders, and supports attendance and communications. |
Plans
RollCall
- RollCall Parent AppFree
- RollCall for schools and bus operatorsPriced on request
- RollCall school and bus-operator platformPriced on request
School Bus Manager
- Lite$990 a year
- Plus$1,790 a year
- Standard$3,990 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
RollCall
RollCall provides school bus management and duty-of-care tools for schools and bus operators. Students tap on and off during journeys, updating parents and school staff with real-time journey information. Families can use the parent app to track buses, manage absences and bus changes, and make payments. Smart Route uses verified stops to help schools plan routes and reduce student transit times. Bus Guardian records a bus check when a driver or supervisor taps the control board at the back of the bus. Listed integrations include TASS, Sentral, Veracross, Compass, FACTS, Wonde, payment providers, and Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace sign-in. Schools connect their own payment provider, and RollCall says it takes no cut of payments. Its managed service supplies and runs devices and SIMs, and handles enrolment and support. RollCall states that its information security management system is ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certified, data is hosted in AWS Sydney and encrypted in transit, and security specialists conduct monthly penetration tests. The parent app is free; schools or operators subscribe at tailored pricing, with a quote or demo requested.
School Bus Manager
School Bus Manager turns student rider data into bus routes and trips with directions, stop times, and maps. Users can optimize or modify routes, then use load-balancing tools to find overlaps, adjust stops, and reassign riders. Attendance tools record who is present and monitor who is onboard, while route data can roll forward from year to year. Rider data can be imported from CSV or XLSX files and Department of Education files. ChildPlus users can export report 1527 for import; compatibility is stated for version 4.6.0.0 or later. Android and iOS Driver Console and Parents App features include live vehicle tracking, attendance, ETA notifications, and real-time rider and vehicle locations. The service is available on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. A full 15-day trial has no limitations, credit card requirement, or contract. Annual plans begin with Lite at $990 a year for up to 500 riders, plus a 199 USD first-year startup fee. New subscriptions and renewals require a 12-month minimum commitment, with no prorating or refunds.