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torms cause much anxiety in the Ozark Mountains near Springfield, Missouri. Tis is especially true for school bus drivers, parents and school transportation directors.
Storms can be dangerous; students are precious cargo. When tornado warnings were issued during an afternoon bus transit, messages went out via radio to drivers for Lincoln County R-III Schools, warning them of the emerging storms. Drivers were advised to head to a safe place. One driver had only three students left to deliver on a route, but with the storm warnings, he proceeded no further. He subsequently stopped the bus and took shelter with the children in a nearby resident’s basement. Be- fore he did, he communicated with the school’s trans- portation director, providing student names onboard. Te transportation director then called their parents, letting them know they were safe. Scenarios such as the one outlined above demonstrate just one value of two-way radio communication. Te technology offers vigilance to all stakeholders in school bus operations. With new and emerging two-way technology, communications continue to improve. Better com- munication brings fluidity to the complex bus move- ments that take place every day in school districts across North America. Newer, better technology is improving the ability to clearly communicate at any time, to and from any place, within the school district boundaries. Te in- novations are addressing two specific challenges that have historically hindered two-way radio communi- cations: Te range and reach of communications and the quality of the voice transmission. With clear and broad two-way communications,
all parties stay informed. Tis includes transportation directors, dispatchers, drivers, shop mechanics, and others involved in the daily operation of the bus fleet. Such interaction enables interactive communications for things like traffic, mechanical problems, delays, redirection, behavioral incidents, and numerous other scenarios that could be aided or abetted with the use of two-way communications.
DIGITAL DIRECTION Two-way communications take place via analog and digital radios, cell phones and now onboard tab- lets. About 20 states, however, have banned the use of cell phones or mobile devices while the bus is in motion. Many school district buses have older two- way analog radios. Emerging digital communications using the power of wireless communications via the internet provide more flexibility and capability. Older analog radios can be problematic in the clarity of communications and the range that they cover. When a school district first purchased them, the school transportation service area may have been different than what it is presently. Te radio range may have been adequate at the time, or the technol- ogy at the point of installation may have provided a limited solution. In addition, legacy two-way radios found in many districts do not always provide clear communications and are vulnerable from other inter- ference from nearby traffic on the airwaves. H. Kevin Mest, senior vice president and general manager of passenger services at Zonar Systems, says most of today’s school buses use a two-way radio dis- patch system to verbally communicate their location and road conditions with their dispatch system. But they are slowly transitioning to digital technology with a removable tablet, which may be a fixture placed on the bus and removed to be taken into the field, such as during pre- and post-trip inspections. A tablet will provide more options and more capability. “Creating a ‘dispatcher on board’ will give school bus fleets the ability to have turn-by-turn route infor- mation, a roster of who is on board, and more, rather than relying on information that is communicated via radio or paper from a pre- and post-trip checklist,” says Mest. “Drivers will soon have a tablet that creates a driver-to-bus association, so you can truly understand how you are doing in terms of performance, fuel con- sumption, and whether you are on-time.” However, for the traditional needs that citizens band or CB radios serve, he added that he sees districts transforming their 40-year-old analog radio communi-
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PHOTO CREDIT: MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS
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