News


Te Piloting of Tings – School Bus Industry Takes an Early Position on IoT


WRITTEN BY JULIE METEA, CONTRIBUTOR C


ompared to the consumer car segment, school bus connectivity is cruising in a slower lane, due to cost sensitivity and the need to justify public funding. Connected technolo- gies are showing up in early adopter districts, school bus pilot programs and exploratory partnerships. But as the Internet of Tings, or IoT, takes shapes in cities and on roads, the next five years could put school buses on a fast track into the future. Bus fleets can age up to a dozen years, put- ting them in a position for advanced aftermar- ket products. Over the next decade, there will


16 School Transportation News • JANUARY 2016


come more Wi-Fi hot spots, stronger cellular infrastructure and wider bandwidth. All of it is expected to increase the desire for “real-time” information. For now, it’s spotty. A recent STN survey indicated that many districts are at a pilot stage or early phase for implementing new bus technologies. More than half of the 265 readers who responded reported that they have on-board video surveillance, followed by more than a third with child reminder systems and a trickling of incident management and location notification systems. But many respondents said they have yet to venture into the world


School districts nationwide are actively piloting and implementing new connected technology that increases safety and improves the bottom line.


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