School transport management for Uganda
Orca is the system schools and transport companies use to run pickup, track buses, and make sure every child goes home with the right person.
Parents see the queue and get a confirmation when their child is collected. Schools keep a record of every pickup. Transport companies manage fleets, drivers, and multi-school routes. It works by app, WhatsApp, and SMS — even on slow networks.
A pickup queue that runs itself
Parents check in when they arrive. Gate staff see who is next, who is waiting, and who has already been collected. No more shouting across the car park.
Every child goes home safely
Before a child leaves, the system confirms the person collecting them is on the approved list. The parent gets a notification the moment it happens.
Parents see where the bus is
Instead of calling the school to ask "where is the bus?", parents open the app and watch it move in real time.
The 3pm problem
This is what happens every school day without a system
- ✕Parents queue up at the gate with no idea who is ahead of them or how long they will wait.
- ✕Gate staff hold paper lists and shout names across a noisy car park.
- ✕A parent sends a driver you have never met. Nobody knows if that is allowed.
- ✕Someone calls the school office asking "has my child left yet?" — and nobody can check quickly.
- ✕A child gets into the wrong car because nobody verified who was collecting them.
- ✕At the end of the day, there is no record of who picked up which child and when.
- ✓Parents see their queue position and estimated wait time before they even leave home.
- ✓Gate staff see a live screen showing who is arriving, who is ready, and who is next.
- ✓Only approved guardians appear in the system. Anyone else is flagged before they reach the gate.
- ✓Parents get a push notification or WhatsApp message the moment their child is collected.
- ✓The system checks identity by PIN, QR code, or NFC card before any child is released.
- ✓Every pickup is logged with the child's name, the guardian's name, and the exact time.
Who this is for
Built for every person involved in getting children home
If you run a school, work at the gate, drive a school bus, or pick up a child — Orca replaces the chaos with a clear process.
School owners and heads
See everything happening at the gate, on the bus, and across every campus from one dashboard. Know which children are still waiting and which have left.
Gate staff
Stop guessing. See the live queue, verify the guardian, release the child, and move to the next one — all from a tablet or phone.
Parents
Check in from your phone, see when your child is ready, and get a confirmation the moment they are collected. No more calling the school.
Drivers and transport teams
Follow the route, see which students are on board, get updates when stops change, and confirm arrivals — all in one place.
Transport companies
Manage your fleet, drivers, and routes across multiple schools. See live vehicle positions, optimize multi-stop routes with OSRM, and handle billing — all from one dashboard.
How it works
Running. In three steps.
Register your school
Add your campus, staff, students, vehicles, and parent contacts. Takes about 15 minutes for a school of 100.
Parents sign up
Send parents a link. They download the app, confirm their details, and are ready to use it the next school day.
Use it every day
At 3pm, parents check in. Gate staff see the queue. Buses are tracked. Handoffs are verified. The record keeps itself.
What you get
Six things that solve the daily problems
Live pickup queue
Parents check in when they arrive. Gate staff see the queue in order, who has been waiting longest, and who to call next.
Verified child handoffs
Before any child leaves, the system confirms the adult collecting them is on the approved list. Works by PIN, QR code, or NFC card.
Live school bus tracking
Parents and school staff see the bus on a map in real time. No more "where is the bus?" phone calls.
Messages that actually arrive
Send pickup updates, route changes, and alerts by app, WhatsApp, or SMS. Parents get them even when internet is poor.
A clean daily record
Every pickup, every handoff, every bus arrival is logged automatically. Export reports for any day, week, or term.
Approved guardian lists
Define exactly who can collect each child. The system checks this before every pickup — no exceptions, no guessing.
What changes in the first week
Schools that switch notice the difference by Friday
Why schools choose Orca
Built for Uganda. Works on day one.
Questions? Email us at orca@backspace.ug.
Pricing
Start free. Pay when you are ready.
Start with the free plan and upgrade when your school needs more. All paid plans are billed per term. No hidden fees, no contracts.
- ✓Gate check-in and live queue
- ✓Parent mobile app
- ✓Push notifications
- ✓1 campus, up to 100 children
- ✓1 admin user
- ✓Everything in Trial
- ✓1 campus
- ✓250 children
- ✓WhatsApp and SMS alerts
- ✓Monthly reports
- ✓Everything in Standard
- ✓Multiple campuses
- ✓NFC and RFID hardware
- ✓Orca Rider on-demand transport
- ✓Priority support
- ✓Everything in Premium
- ✓Dedicated onboarding
- ✓SLA support
- ✓Custom integrations
- ✓Multiple campuses
Ready to fix pickup at your school?
Set up in minutes. Use it free. See the queue, the tracking, and the handoff record working on the first day.
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