This guide is for School Administrators managing new bus applications. Parents can apply through the Parent App or an Online Booking Form. You can also record requests received by phone or email.

How the workflow works

Application submitted → Intake → Ready to Seat → Seat assignment → Seated or Waitlisted

1. Check your Planning Term

1. Go to Settings → Bookings.
2. Check the Planning Term at the top of the screen.
3. Use the dropdown to select the term you want to prepare, process or review.

2. Set up terms and days off

1. Open Settings → Bookings → Setup.
2. Add each term with its Start Date and End Date.
3. Add school holidays and any other dates when normal bus services will not operate. You can add a single day or a block of days.

The Booking Settings timeline shows your terms, holidays and days off. Set these up at the beginning of the school year.

After a term starts: Past dates are locked. You can still extend the Term End Date and the Parent Booking Window when required.

3. Choose how parents apply

Your school can use the Parent App, the Online Booking Form, or both.

Parent App

Set a Parent Booking Window for an individual term or the whole year. A school-wide window can be used as the default, with an override for an individual term when needed.

Online Booking Form

1. In Setup, select External Form Link.
2. Choose the link or website option below.
3. Select Open Parent Form to preview what parents will see. You can complete a test application if needed.

What parents enter

Submitted forms go directly to Intake.

4. Review applications in Intake

1. Open Settings → Bookings → Intake.
2. Check the Planning Term, then open Pending.
3. Select Open beside the application you want to review.

Applications from the Parent App and Online Booking Form appear here. The tabs show Pending, Ready to Seat, Seated, Waitlisted and Rejected, with a count for each stage.

The Pending list includes the submission date, parent and student names, source, Planning Term, student match and current state. Source tells you how the request was received.

Check the student match

1. Check the application details and student match.
2. Match the application to an existing student, or create a new student where appropriate.
3. Once reviewed and accepted, send the application to Ready to Seat. The student becomes available in the Seat area.

Reject an application

Select Reject and enter a reason. The application and reason are retained under Rejected for future reference.

5. Assign buses and stops

1. Open Settings → Bookings → Seat.
2. Find the student in the Seating Queue on the left. Search by student or sort by Grade. Each card shows whether AM, PM or both services are required.
3. Select the student to see their travel requirements and home address.
4. Review the suggested routes and map before choosing a bus and stop.

RollCall suggests the three nearest routes based on the student’s location. The map shows their home address, available stops and students already assigned. You can also search the bus list, which shows the distance from home to each bus’s nearest stop, with the closest options first.

Complete each required journey

1. For AM travel, select the Bus and Stop, then review the assignment.
2. If PM travel is required, switch to PM Assignment and repeat.
3. Check the AM and PM status at the bottom of the screen. Each required journey remains Pending until assigned.
4. Select Save, or Save & Next to save and move straight to the next student.

Use Book by Route for specific dates

1. Select Book by Route.
2. Choose AM or PM, Bus, Stop, From Date and To Date.
3. Select Apply.

Use this option when the student needs specific booking dates rather than the standard term configuration.

6. Manage students you cannot seat yet

1. Select Can’t Seat Yet.
2. Choose a reason, such as Bus is full or No suitable stop.
3. Add a short note explaining what is needed.
4. Select Add to Waitlist, or Skip Student to return to the student later.

The Waitlisted area shows the student, reason and your notes. Waitlisted students also remain in their own group in the Seating Queue so you can revisit them when a seat becomes available.

7. Add phone or email applications

Use Add Submission to keep phone, email and other requests in the same Intake workflow.

1. In Intake, check the Planning Term and select Add Submission.
2. Select how the application was received.
3. Enter the student details and travel requirements.
4. Enter the parent details, including a Parent Phone Number.
5. Select Log Submission.

The application joins the Intake Queue for the selected term and keeps a record of how it was received.

8. Find applications and finish the intake

Search Intake using the Student Name, Parent Name or Parent Email. Use individual column filters to narrow the list, such as by term, source or status.

• Review remaining Pending applications and move accepted requests to Ready to Seat.
• Work through the Seating Queue until students are Seated or appropriately Waitlisted.
• Check any skipped students and add clear waitlist notes where needed.
• Keep declined applications under Rejected, with the reason recorded.

When the Seat area shows that everyone has been seated, the seating process for the term is complete.

Next Steps / Related Articles

• Guide to Managing RollCall Bookings