# First View

> Real-time school commute tracking for K-12 students and their families. (iPhone/iPad app by Firstgroup America Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-view/id6477656451 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Firstgroup America Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/868213520)
- Category: Travel, Education
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.80/5 from 14,221 App Store ratings · 147 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 47 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2024-08-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-30
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-view/id6477656451/reviews.md

## What is First View?

For K-12 parents and caregivers, we understand the importance of a stress-free school commute for your student. That's why we've developed FirstView, our easy-to-use vehicle tracking app. FirstView allows you to plan your day and stay connected with your student's trips, regardless of the type of vehicle your student travels in. With FirstView:
 
 - See real-time vehicle location and track its progress
 - Easily monitor multiple students, including yellow school bus and special/alternative transportation journeys
 - Quickly access updates and vehicle details for each trip
 - Receive instant notifications and service alerts from your district
 - Set up family members and caregivers to receive customizable trip update alerts
 - Dedicated customer support at your fingertips

## Key features

- Real-time vehicle location tracking
- Monitor multiple students and transportation types
- Access trip details and updates
- Receive instant notifications and service alerts
- Set up custom alerts for family members
- Dedicated customer support

## Chart rankings

- #121 in Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

## What do users think of First View?

Overall sentiment: negative

**Pros**

- 👍 Nice clean app
- 👍 Smooth bus tracking
- 🙏 Helpful for parents of nonverbal autistic kids

**Cons**

- 🐛 Inconsistent route and notification issues
- 🤔 Confusing with multiple app versions
- 🤦‍♀️ Worse than previous app in many ways
- 🤔 Unclear how to set up and use properly
- 🔒 Password reset issues

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Routes disappearing from app
- Login and password reset problems
- Glitchy user interface

**Most requested features**

- Estimated time of arrival for bus
- Simpler setup and configuration
- Consistent performance across all users

## Recent user reviews (10 of 147)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-view/id6477656451/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Useless app

*2026-07-13*

Don’t bother downloading. Been adding trips that don’t get tracked at all. No resources to learn how to.

### 5/5 — Great School Bus app!

*2026-06-26, version 8.0.0*

I’m a parent of a child who is so grateful for getting to know where her child is in the school bus system. It shows me the route of picking up and dropping off. Thank you so much for making this app great!

### 5/5 — I love it so much

*2026-06-18, version 7.1.0*

It tells me if my kids bus have arrived or left I love it but I would love if the added a 4 minute 3mins warning

### 1/5 — Useless notifications

*2026-06-13*

Notifications on this app are hilariously useless. When I tap on a distance notification it brings me to the settings page instead of the map: why?? In that moment when I’m trying to see if I have time to get shoes on my kid I need to see where the bus is, not change my settings. While my kid sleeps upstairs at 10 pm I get push notifications that his bus has arrived. 6 hours after it arrived. This app has one job to do and it can’t do it. Stay away if at all possible.

EDIT: Developer responded saying I can view notifications within the app by pressing the bell. Yes, I’m aware. My issue is tapping a push notification from my lock screen brings me to a settings page rather than the literal thing the notification is alerting me about (namely, the map aka the only thing that matters).

**Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback. A quick way to view notifications in the app is to select the bell icon at the top right of the map screen. We did resolve a bug that was impacting the timing of distance notifications, but if you are still experiencing this issue, please reach out to App Support at support@myfirstview.com.

### 4/5 — Continuing to Improve

*2026-05-14*

I began using this app when our district changed evaporation vendors about a year ago. The app has mostly worked well but did have challenges with map location updates for a while. My major message is that they are continuing to develop and improve the app, which matters a lot to me.

Something I especially like is that it has a geofence alert as the driver nears your home. One area I wish they could extend a bit are either to support life events, to avoid having to having to relaunch to check location and perhaps to have a running ETA estimate. 

One very recent change that prompted me to write this is that they have successfully added arrival notifications! No one wrote us to advise it was coming but it was very noticeable when it happened this morning. THANK YOU!

**Developer response:** We're glad you love the new arrival notifications! We were excited to add that new feature to First View. We'll happily take any additional feature requests at support@myfirstview.com.

### 5/5 — My grandson’s bus schedule

*2026-05-12, version 7.0.0*

This is wonderful! I wish we had it when his mom was his age and riding the bus!

### 1/5 — No Accuracy. Never On Time.

*2026-05-08*

0% Accuracy. Bus Never comes on Scheduled time. Everyday Different Drivers. No set Drivers. They take Different Routes. GPS doesn’t work many times. Drivers Take Different routes and come from different times and different directions. Most of the time bus don’t come on scheduled time, and sometimes they don’t wait and leave without picking up. They used to be very good in timings till last year. But this whole year is a mess. Can’t be Trusted.

**Developer response:** We're sorry you've been experiencing this issue. Please reach out to us at support@myfirstview.com and we can review any app issues you are experiencing, or we can get you in touch with your local First Student depot to review any issues with your student's transportation. Thanks!

### 1/5 — Junk

*2026-05-06, version 7.0.0*

Unreliable junk

### 1/5 — Terrible app

*2026-05-04, version 7.0.0*

Terrible app. It is not a live tracking app. It is NEVER showing the exact location of the school bus. It always says the location was 5 or 10 minutes ago. I have to pay more attention my child’s school log in then this stupid app.

### 1/5 — New York

*2026-04-24, version 7.0.0*

This program is in dire need of numerous modifications, and it fails to bind its management and operators to safety standards.

## Frequently asked questions about First View

### What does the FirstView app do?

FirstView is a vehicle tracking app designed for K-12 parents and caregivers. It allows you to monitor your student's school commute in real-time, providing peace of mind and helping you plan your day more effectively.

### What are the key features of FirstView?

Key features include real-time vehicle location tracking, the ability to monitor multiple students and various transportation types (including yellow school buses and special/alternative transportation), quick access to trip updates and vehicle details, and instant notifications for service alerts from your district.

### Is FirstView free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, the app is available for free. There are no mentions of subscription fees or in-app purchases required for its core functionality.

### Who is FirstView for?

This app is specifically designed for K-12 parents and caregivers who want to stay connected with their student's school commute and ensure a stress-free transportation experience.

### Can I set up alerts for other family members?

Yes, you can set up family members and other caregivers to receive customizable trip update alerts. This ensures that everyone involved in your student's transportation is kept informed.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 8.1.0 — 2026-08-17

- First View is now available in additional languages to better support the diverse needs of our users.
- Additional languages are Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Somali, Portuguese, Swahili, Russian, Amharic, Nepali, Haitian Creole, Chinese Simplified and Arabic.

If you experience any app issues or have feedback, contact us at support@myfirstview.com.

### 8.0.0 — 2026-06-25

- First View is now available in additional languages to better support the diverse needs of our users.
- Improved the parent registration flow to make account setup easier and more reliable.
- General bug fixes and performance improvements for a smoother experience.

If you experience any app issues or have feedback, contact us at support@myfirstview.com.

### 7.1.0 — 2026-05-15

- Enhanced trip notifications now keep you informed about vehicle changes, driver updates, drop-offs, and school stop arrivals for all student types.
- New offline status experience to clearly indicate when there is no internet connection, along with improved data refresh when connectivity is restored.
- General bug fixes for a smoother experience.

If you experience any app issues or have feedback, contact us at support@myfirstview.com.

### 7.0.0 — 2026-04-03

- New in-app tutorial to help you get started from your first login.  
- Pinned alerts on the map keep you informed about important service updates.  
- Improved student status messaging and updated FAQ for clearer information.  
- Enhanced address setup with City and State/Province support for more accurate distance alerts.
- Accessibility improvements to better meet ADA (WCAG 2.1 AA) standards.

If you experience any app issues or have feedback, contact us at support@myfirstview.com.

### 6.2.0 — 2026-03-05

This release includes bug fixes and usability improvements to give our students’ families an even better vehicle tracking experience.

If you experience any app issues or have feedback, contact us at support@myfirstview.com.

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## More apps by Firstgroup America Inc

- [FirstView Classic](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firstview-classic/id1188696043)
- [First Student Connect](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-student-connect/id1235084766)
- [Jaunt by First Transit](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jaunt-by-first-transit/id1510215837)
- [FirstAlt Driver](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/firstalt-driver/id6444050593)

All apps by Firstgroup America Inc: https://appshunter.io/developer/868213520

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-30.*