Westchester Innovation Network Spotlight: Right Route Modernizes School Bus Safety at NYAPT Conference

Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) participant Right Route recently achieved a new milestone at the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) conference in Albany.

Following a successful local pilot program, the Ossining-based startup led by founder and CEO Sergio Alfonso participated for the first time as a vendor in the conference’s trade show. Previously involved with NYAPT as a professional member through the Lower Hudson chapter, Alfonso used this opportunity to experience the conference from the vendor side.

“The main reason we were there was to test the markets,” said Alfonso. “We received a lot of positive feedback, made great connections, and built good relationships with possible early adopters.”

Right Route’s digital displays replace traditional paper signs used to label school bus routes. By providing easily updatable information, Right Route aims to eliminate the risk of students boarding the wrong bus, particularly during afternoon drop-offs.

With positive driver feedback from its Westchester pilot and strong interest from NYAPT attendees, Right Route is preparing to scale for the 2026–2027 school year. Alfonso is also exploring ways to expand beyond hardware into a more comprehensive platform, including GPS capability, a subscription-model app, and routing software.

Alfonso credits WIN with helping accelerate this evolution. “It really accelerated our next steps and wanting to expand,” he explained. “We knew we wanted to expand our business model beyond hardware, but running our first pilot really solidified that next step for us.”

The momentum from the Albany conference builds on the success of Right Route’s collaboration with County Coach in Rye Brook, a partnership facilitated by WIN. That initial product test enabled the company to refine its prototype and validate its potential impact on student safety.

“The Business Council of Westchester is thrilled to see the progress Right Route has made since joining the WIN program,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of the BCW. “Seeing a local innovator move from a successful county-based test to a statewide stage like NYAPT is exactly what this network was designed to achieve. We are proud to support a solution that has the potential to become a new solution for child safety in the school transportation sector.”