BUZZ ON THE ROAD COVERAGE -- PARENTS IN MONUMENT SENT THEIR KIDS BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY. AND THEY MAY HAVE NOTICED A SLIGHT CHANGE IF THEIR KIDS RIDE THE BUS. KRDO13'S JOSH HELMUTH WAS ON A D- 38 BUS ROUTE TODAY... TO CHECK OUT NEW TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS PARENTS AND BUS DRIVERS IN THE LEWIS PALMER DISTRICT FEELING A LITTLE MORE AT EASE. JOSH HELMUTH (LOOK LIVE) - "D-38 IS ON THE SHORT LIST OF SCHOOLS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE JOINING A TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION FOR SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS. THEY'RE PARTNERING WITH A BRAND NEW COMPANY CALLED SMART TAG. THE FIRST THING STUDENTS DO, THEY TAKE THEIR ID AND ACTUALLY SCAN IT THE SECOND THEY GET ON THE BUS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE ON THE CORRECT BUS. AND FROM THERE, PARENTS CAN TRACK, IN REAL TIME, WHERE THEIR KIDS ARE ON THEIR ROUTE." NAT IT'S CALLED SMART TAG. RACHEL HETRICK , D38 BUS DRIVER - "I LOVE IT. I THINK IT'S GREAT." IT'S A TABLET, DOCKED INTO HARDWARE NEXT TO THE BUS DRIVER. NAT THE SOFTWARE GIVES TURN BY TURN DIRECTIONS FOR THE BUS DRIVER, TRACKS BUS MAINTENANCE, SHOWS PARENTS WITH ALERTS WHERE THE BUS IS ON THEIR CHILD'S ROUTE, EVEN MAKES SURE THE CORRECT STUDENTS MAKE IT ON THEIR ASSIGNED BUS. RACHEL HETRICK, D38 BUS DRIVER - "IT WILL PULL UP THEIR PICTURE, THEIR STUDENT PICTURE, AS WELL AS WHAT GRADE THEIR IN AND IT DOES HELP WITH LEARNING NEW STUDENTS A LOT FASTER." AND LEWIS PALMER D38 IS THE FIRST IN SOUTHERN COLORADO TO USE IT. JULIE ABEYTA, OPERATIONS MANAGER D-38 TRANSPORTATION - "IT CAN BE VERY DAUNTING IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH A ROUTE. THIS ALLEVIATES ALL THAT ANXIETY." D-38 CLAIMS IT'S SAVED THEM MONEY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT? A SAFER RIDE FOR ALL. SHANNON VIERA, SMART TAG - "TRANSPORTATION HAS BEEN STUCK IN THE ARCHAIC AGES AND DRIVERS HAVE TYPICALLY DRIVEN ROUTES WITH A PAPER HANDBOOK IN-HAND, AND FIFTY SCREAMING KIDS BEHIND THEM." JULIE ABEYTA, OPERATIONS MANAGER D-38 TRANSPORTATION - "IT'S A REALLY GREAT DEVICE TO REALLY ASSIST THE OVERALL AND IMPROVE THE SAFETY THE TIME OF THE KIDS ARE ON THE BUS." JOSH HELMUTH (LOOK LIVE) - "LIKE MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN OUR AREA, D38 IS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE BUS DRIVERS AS WELL. AND THEY WANTED ME TO LET YOU KNOW AS WELL, THEY DO PAY VERY COMPETITIVELY. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED GO TO KRDO.COM. WE WILL HAVE INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY. FROM MONUMENT, JOSH HELMUTH, KRDO 13. TO KRDO.COM. WE WILL HAVE INFORMATION ON HOW TO APPLY. FROM MONUMENT, JOSH HELMUTH, KRDO 13. WE WILL BE CONTINUING OUR SCHOOL BUZZ COVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR -- AND IF YOU HAVE A SCHOOL BUZZ STORY OR A STUDENT OR TEACHER YOU WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT -- EMAIL US AT SCHOOL BUZZ AT KRDO DOT COM. WITH THOSE STUDENTS