INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS
Seeing It All WRITTEN BY ERIC WOOLSON C
oming soon to a bus near you — live streaming video? Perhaps. Leading transportation software companies are producing impressive advancements in
vehicle video products, such as integrating it into their routing, mapping and student tracking programs. And, more transportation professionals across North Ameri- ca are weighing the pros and cons of its use to enhance security. Peter Simmons, director of marketing for Seon, a mo- bile video surveillance company based in Coquitlam, Brit- ish Columbia, says live-streaming video offers unequalled advantages in critical situations. “Every second counts when it comes to passenger
safety. In an emergency situation, live streaming lets you see exactly what’s happening on the bus in real time and take action immediately — no matter where you might be,” he explained. Seon introduced the latest real-time solution at the
18 School Transportation News January 2014
DISTRICTS WEIGH THE BENEFITS OF INTEGRATING SECURITY THROUGH REAL-TIME VIDEO, STUDENT TRACKING AND ROUTING
NAPT Summit in October with its vMax Live Plus, live GPS/AVL fleet tracking integrated with student tracking and routing. John Bagert, transportation director for the 17,500-student Tyler (Texas) Independent School District, is no stranger to technology. Te former fleet manager for Verizon oversaw 70,000 vehicles from Maine to Hawaii, and has closely watched technology’s march. His district is already using Seon’s student tracking
software, and he sees live video as a logical step to improve efficiency and safety. “I have video on all the buses now, just not a live feed,”
he says. Bagert expects to seek quotes within the next two years
as he replaces his fleet’s current onboard hard drives with live streaming video. “It will be live streaming back to the transportation dispatch office,” he explains. He wants live streaming video that can be activated when a driver hits the panic button, discreetly giving dispatchers and authorities a view into what’s going on in real time. Another advantage could be to check in on any bus as an alternative to the standard supervisor ride- alongs to monitor driver performance. “When the team leader is on the bus, the driver tends to be a little more aware of what they’re doing. We don’t want it to be like Big Brother spying on them, though,” he underscored. Because of the current cost of real-time video, Bagert said he would only use it in emergency situations. He would not plan on hiring additional staff to monitor the videos, but would have current team leaders and office
John Bagert of Tyler ISD in Texas (left) and Geary Cooper of Gordon County School District are representative of student transporters who see all of the benefits of video.
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