Souls Coaches NFC Smart Card System – Bespoke Android & Web App Development

Souls Coaches, established in 1923, operates a fleet of over 30 vehicles delivering coach and bus services across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. They also provide specialist school transport for several prestigious fee-paying schools. As part of a long-term modernisation programme across the region, the company wanted to upgrade both its on-board systems and its back-office operations.

Souls Coaches approached New Media Aid to design and develop a fully bespoke solution that would improve safety, reduce driver contact and streamline operational oversight. The project needed to be secure, scalable and suitable for wide deployment across multiple routes in and around Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, London and Essex.

Modernising Passenger Check-In with NFC Smart Cards

To remove the need for passengers to hand physical passes to drivers (particularly important during the Covid period), we developed a custom Android app that operates from the driver’s cab. This app connects via Bluetooth to mounted NFC smart-card readers at the front and rear entrances of each coach. When a student or passenger scans their card, the system immediately validates the card and alerts the driver if anything is amiss.

Every scan is securely logged and synchronised with the company’s cloud-based back-office system via a dedicated REST API. This ensures that service activity is recorded in real time, even when vehicles are travelling across rural areas of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire with intermittent connectivity.

Back-Office Web App and Parent Portal

Alongside the Android app, we created a robust web application for staff to manage routes, registered passengers, card assignments and attendance records. All data is synced seamlessly with the on-board apps, ensuring both operations teams and drivers have access to accurate, up-to-date information.

A dedicated Parent Portal was also built as part of the system. Parents can log in securely to view real-time pickup and drop-off events, giving families in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and the wider region peace of mind when children travel to and from school.

A Scalable, Secure Transport Solution

This end-to-end system—combining Android, NFC technology, Bluetooth hardware integration and a cloud-based web backend—has provided Souls Coaches with a modern, efficient and future-proof passenger management platform. It has improved operational accuracy, enhanced safeguarding for school services and reduced administrative workload for staff.

The project showcases how bespoke software can transform traditional transport operations for companies operating across London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex.