If your organization has mobile data terminals (MDTs), your drivers will usually start activity runs themselves using their devices. If you don't have MDTs (or for any reason), you can start a run for your driver manually as shown below. After the trip has been completed, you also need to end the activity (as discussed in the third section, "Ending the Activity") so that the vehicle isn't still trackable by your Here Comes the Bus (HCTB) parents.


There are three sections below: The first covers how to select a vehicle to start the run for (such as if no default vehicle is assigned for the activity or if a substitute bus is driving it); the second shows how to begin an activity for its assigned vehicle; and the third explains how to end the activity in the system.

Caution: Make sure that the driver is actually beginning the activity trip at the time you are starting the run for the system. As soon as you perform this procedure, your HCTB account holders will receive their notifications that the activity has begun, and they will be able to track the bus via the app and website.

Note: You can also use the Activity Monitor to start and stop an activity by right-clicking its row, selecting Start or Stop from the menu that appears, and following the subsequent steps in Watching HCTB Activities Live Using the Activity Monitor.

Starting an Activity for a Vehicle You Specify


To choose a vehicle to start an activity run for (such as if it has no default vehicle or for a different bus), follow these steps:


  1. Click  >> Activities.
     
    The HCTB Activities screen will appear.
      
  2. Click  in the row of the activity the driver is about to begin.
     
    The Select Vehicles to Start Activity Activity Name dialog box will appear.
         
  3. If the bus running the activity isn't assigned to it as the default, in the Unassigned list, click the check box to the left of its name and click .
    Note: You can choose multiple buses if more than one is starting this activity, such as for an art museum field trip that requires several vehicles to transport the students, and then click .
    If there is a default bus but it isn't running the activity, in the Assigned list, click the check box to the left of its name and click  to remove it.
    Note: The bus will still be assigned as the activity's default vehicle, however, even if you remove it from this particular run.
  4. Click Start Activity.
     
    The activity will be started for all vehicles that were in the Assigned grid, and an Activity Started success message will appear at the top right of the screen.
     
    Any HCTB account holders who added the activity and opted to receive notifications about it will now receive their alert. They will also be able to track the vehicles you selected via the HCTB app or website.


Starting an Activity for Its Default Vehicle


To start an activity run for the bus that is assigned to drive it, follow these steps:

Note: If you would like to designate a default vehicle for an activity, you can do so as shown in Editing a HCTB Activity.

  1. Click  >> Activities.
     
    The HCTB Activities screen will appear.
      
  2. Click the check box in the row of the activity that is about to begin.
     
  3. Click  at the top right of the screen.
     
    A confirmation dialog box will appear.
      
  4. Click Yes.
     
    The activity will be started for its default vehicle(s), and an Activity Started success message will appear at the top right of the screen.
     
    Any HCTB account holders who added the activity and opted to receive notifications about it will now receive their alert. They will also be able to track the default bus(es) via the HCTB app or website.


Ending the Activity


To end an activity run, follow these steps:

Note: It is important that you end an activity you started using the CalAmp K-12 software so that parents can no longer track the bus via the HCTB app or website.

  1. Click  >> Activities.
     
    The HCTB Activities screen will appear.
      
  2. Click  in the row of the activity that was just completed.
     
    The End Activity Activity Name dialog box will appear, with all active vehicles selected by default.
     
    Note: If there are multiple vehicles in the list and you want to end the activity for only some of them, deselect the ones you don't want to stop it for.
  3. Click End Activity.
     
    An Activity Ended success message will appear at the top right of the screen.
     
    HCTB account holders will no longer be able to track the vehicles via the HCTB app or website.