Abstract: The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for tracking vehicle riders, such as students riding in a school bus, for example. In one embodiment, the disclosed system has a biometric device, such as a palm vein reader, configured to identify users who are expected to ride a school bus. When a student rider either gets on or off the bus, the biometric device is used to identify the rider. An automated controller on the bus maintains a list of expected passengers on the bus, and based on the biometric device, the controller maintains data, referred to hereafter as “rider data,” indicating whether each expected passenger is currently on the bus. The rider data is updated, in real time, as riders get on and off the bus at various stops.