Type of new technology implemented
GPS (global positioning system): 45% GIS (geographical information system): 7% AVL (automatic vehicle location): 7% Routing software: 34% Two-way radios/communications systems: 42% On-board video cameras: 61% Stop-arm camera surveillance systems: 8% Student ridership tracking: 5% Pre-trip/post-trip software: 12% Employee information/attendance: 14% Bus safety equipment: 22%
Student Tracking on the Rise? Denver Public Schools’ spokesman Brandon Edelman said cost was not an issue when the district launched its +Pass program last spring, because transportation depart- ment officials were confident the ZPass student ridership system by Zonar Systems would pay for itself by leading to more efficient routes. Te +Pass system cost the district approximately $840,000, yet a grant will help offset some of the cost, said Edelman. With +Pass, school officials will be able to tell parents in the far and near northeast neighborhoods when and where their child has entered or exited a bus. Transportation-eli- gible students are issued a +Pass ridership card that works with a card reader installed on all DPS yellow buses. Tis school year, districts in Florida, North Carolina, Omaha and Nebraska have begun using student tracking technology that gives both school administrators and par- ents peace of mind. Yet what is innovative about Denver’s program is the effort to reach parents by providing informa- tional videos on +Pass usage in both English and Spanish on the transportation department’s Web page. “It’s about knowing where our students are and where
they’re travelling to and what bus they might be on at that time,” Edelman told the local NBC news station in May. “Tis is not an expensive program … it’s going to help us build more efficient service routes that will save money for the district in terms of better using our resources.” As of the new school year, 13 school districts across
North Carolina, from Asheville to the coast, have started using new wireless technology to provide information about their school buses and student passengers. One optional component of the Synovia Solutions school
bus tracker enables students to sign in and off the bus using their student ID card, providing confirmation that they have safely arrived where they need to be. “Parents entrust us each day with the safety of their chil-
dren, and this solution aids in our ability to manage a fleet of 300 school buses on a daily basis with advanced monitor- ing capabilities,” said Scott Denton, transportation director for Durham Public Schools. “I now feel as if I’m riding alongside each of our drivers — morning and afternoon." Meanwhile, Tyler ISD located about 100 miles east of
Type of staff training recently implemented
Emergency/disaster drills and evacuations: Safety:
59% Violence prevention: Special needs: 40% Maintenance/technician training: 44% Security/anti-terrorism/active shooter: 35% 58 School Transportation News October 2013 41% 50%
Dallas has real-time eyes on its fleet of 131 school buses as well as students on board after implementing GPS solutions offered by Seon that integrated with existing Compass routing software from U.S. Computing. John Bagert, the district's director of transportation, said
the system became necessary following an emergency last year involving a student on route. Complicating matters, the driver’s radio went dead. “Calling drivers on all 100 buses, the Tyler ISD Police De-
partment and Tyler PD, it took 20 minutes and every resource we had to try to get a visual on the bus,” recalled Bagert. So the district turned to Seon’s vMax live tracking
solutions for buses and students. As a result, Bagert said accident response times have improved by 75 percent and routers and dispatchers have access to instant, up-to-the- minute student ridership lists. Bus drivers also have access
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